Math Fact Family Roll & Write

Repetition is a GREAT way to help children learn, but if you’re asking them to do something over and over again, it better be fun. Since my spelling word Roll & Write activity was such a hit with my son (and followers, too!), I thought another Roll & Write to practice math fact families would be equally well-received.

I was right; my son loved it!!

How this activity came to be ...

The elementary school my son attends uses the Everyday Math curriculum and for weeks now, his teacher has been sending home fact triangles for my son to cut out and practice. The triangles have a number at each point that can be ordered to create two addition and two subtraction problems.

I’m not going to lie. I can’t really tell if my son is “practicing.” And truthfully, aside from their nifty triangular shape, it’s basically just a flash card. Are you thinkin’ what I’m thinking? Borrrrrriiiiiing!

It was sort of a personal mission to find a way for my son to practice these fact triangles. So I made a die – not just any die, but one with triangular sides - an icosahedren!

Download the template I made here, print on heavyweight cardstock, cut it out, score all the lines with the back of a butter knife and a straight edge, fold, and glue the flaps. That’s all there is to it.

My son marvelled at the die I made. 

Download a PDF of the die template and 2-page recording worksheet here.

I gave him a pencil and recording sheet and told him to get rollin’. When the triangle on top of the die displayed a 10, 7, and 3, he wrote the following problems down:

7 + 3 = 10

10 - 7 = 3

3 + 7 = 10

10 - 3 = 7

When the worksheet was done, so was my son.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Math triangles practiced at last!