Math Game Spotlight: Arithmetic Concentration (Addition & Subtraction)

Why Teachers Love It

Arithmetic Concentration is a simple, high-impact game that builds fact fluency through memory and strategy. Whether you use the addition deck or the subtraction deck, students flip cards, calculate mentally, and search for matching results. It feels like a classic memory game, but every move is powered by math thinking instead of guessing.

This game fits beautifully into math centers, partner work, warm-ups, tutoring, or early-finisher time. You can play the addition version one day and the subtraction version the next, using the same rules but a different deck. As students talk through the sums and differences they uncover, they naturally engage in math talk—explaining combinations, justifying choices, and coaching partners. Hands-on games like this create face-to-face interaction and real conversation, a refreshing counterbalance to screen-based practice.

Game: Arithmetic Concentration (Addition & Subtraction)

Materials Needed

• 1 deck of 20 cards in pairs (2–4 players)
  • Addition version: each pair shows two different expressions with the same sum.
  • Subtraction version: each pair shows two different expressions with the same difference.

Official Rules (Same for Both Versions)

Setup

1. Shuffle all cards carefully.
2. Deal the cards face-down into four rows of five cards each.

Gameplay

1. The player to the left of the dealer starts.
2. On your turn, turn over any two cards and read the expressions.
3. Addition deck:
   • If the two expressions have the same sum, you keep the pair and place it face-down in front of you.
4. Subtraction deck:
   • If the two expressions have the same difference, you keep the pair and place it face-down in front of you.
5. If the sums or differences do not match, turn both cards back over in the same spots.
6. A player who makes a match takes another turn.
7. Play moves to the left until all cards have been paired.
8. The winner is the player with the most cards at the end.

Note: Students who pay close attention to which cards have been revealed, and where, gain a big strategic advantage in the game.

Modifications & Adaptations

Easier Version (Kinder–Grade 1)

• Use fewer pairs (6–8 pairs instead of 10).
• Limit the deck to sums or differences within 5 or within 10.
• Play one “preview round” where cards are left face-up so students can see the board.

Standard Version (Grades 1–3)

• Use the full 20-card deck.
• Focus on core facts:
  • Addition: doubles, near-doubles, and making tens.
  • Subtraction: facts related to those same sums (e.g., 10 – 6, 10 – 4).
• Require students to say the full equation aloud before they take a pair.

Challenge Version (Grades 3–4)

• Create your own extra cards with larger sums or differences (up to 20 or 30).
• Mix addition and subtraction expressions in one deck; matches are made by result only.
• Add a 30–60 second timer per turn to build fluency and focus.

Partner-Coaching Variation

• One partner flips the cards; the other must explain the math:
  • “I know these match because both equal 11.”
  • Switch roles every few turns so everyone gets practice with both memory and explanation.

Teacher Discussion Questions

During and After the Game

1. “What helped you remember where certain sums or differences were on the board?”
2. “How did you figure out the sum or difference in your head before saying it?”
3. “Did you use different strategies for addition vs subtraction? How?”
4. “Which results were easiest for you to find matches for? Why?”
5. “How is playing Arithmetic Concentration different from doing a page of math facts?”

As students respond, listen for strategies like counting on, counting back, making tens, using doubles, and connecting addition and subtraction facts.

Math Talk Sentence Starters

Math Talk Sentence Starters are short prompts that help students explain their thinking, not just give answers. In a game like Arithmetic Concentration, they turn card-flipping into purposeful discussion—students describe strategies, justify why a pair matches, and reflect on what helps them remember facts. This kind of talk deepens understanding and models the rich mathematical discourse encouraged in Building Thinking Classrooms.

Sentence Starters for This Game

• “I think these cards match because they both equal __.”
• “I solved + / – by using the strategy __.”
• “I remember seeing that same sum/difference when we flipped the card at __.”
• “My plan is to look for results of first because .”
• “I noticed that many cards gave the result __.”
• “This fact is easy/hard for me because __.”

Games like Arithmetic Concentration bring math facts to life. Instead of racing through worksheets, students slow down just enough to think strategically, remember positions, and talk about how they know two expressions are equal. By swapping decks, you can move seamlessly between addition and subtraction practice while keeping the structure—and the fun—exactly the same. Try running both versions over a week and watch students’ confidence with basic facts grow as they play, think, and talk together.

Video Demo: