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Child's Play


Go Fish


This is a good game for practicing lower numbers. The object of the game is to get as many pairs as you can. I like to play this game sitting in a circle on the floor.

Deal out five cards to each player. The players then check to see if they have any pairs in their hands. They put these on the floor in front of them. The first player then asks any other player for one of the cards in their hand. If the asked player has the card they give it to the first player. If the asked player doesn't have the card then the first player takes a card from the pile of undealt cards. If the first player is lucky enough to make a pair from the pickup that goes on the floor in front of them.

    Example:-

      S1: Do you have a 5?
      S2: Yes. (Gives S1 the five.)
      S1: Puts S2's 5 with her/his own face up on the floor.

      S2: Do you have a 2?
      S3: No.
      S2: Takes a new card from the deck.

Traditionally the first player keeps the turn while they are making pairs but I've found that giving each player one go and then moving on is much better. This makes the game move faster and the students don't have to wait so long for their turn. Therefore the interest remains a lot higher. Also if a player is unlucky enough to run out of cards before the game is finished I just give them some more cards.