Instructions

Admittedly, making these two decks of cards will take some time, but the payoff is worth it. Several of our Playground games and activities for younger learners use these cards. These can be fun to create together, so let your child help with the stickers and the coloring!

(Note: If you prefer, you can download our printable Number Deck and 0-20 Deck. Be sure to print it on thick paper! Or you can print a black and white version of the Number Deck or 0-20 Deck and color them in yourself. You can also purchase decks that would work for these games. See links below in Variations.)

You'll need 44 index cards to make these two decks. (Plus a few extra... mistakes happen!) You'll also need at least 4 colors that are easy to tell apart of marker, crayon, or colored pencil. And you'll need a pencil, scissors, and, optionally, some small stickers.

First, cut your index cards into a 3"x3" square piece and a leftover 2"x3" rectangular piece. A simple way to do this is to trace the width of a card with a pencil, then cut several cards at once.

Set aside the rectangular pieces (you'll need them a bit later). The square cards will be used to make a deck of four "suits." Each suit will have 11 cards, representing the numbers 0 through 10 in different ways.

Suit 1: Dots
Use stickers to make these dot patterns. Don't forget a blank card for zero. You can also just color dots in these patterns if you don't have stickers.

Outline each card with a marker, crayon or colored pencil to match your stickers, or use the side of a crayon to shade the card a matching color. (Note: if you use a marker, check to make sure the color doesn't bleed through the index card. If it does, that could make it a bit tougher to play games like Memory.)

Suit 2: Tally Marks
Draw these with a marker, and use the same marker to outline the card. Don't forget a blank card for zero!

Suit 3: Numerals
"Numerals" are the way we usually represent numbers. Outline the card in a matching color. Underline 6 and 9 so they'll be easy to tell apart, even if you draw a card and don't know which way is right side up.

Suit 4: Ten Frames
A ten frame is a 2 by 5 rectangle with dots filled in to represent the numbers 0-10. Draw the dots with marker, then outline the cards with colors to match the dots.

Give yourself a moment to admire your work, but not too long. There's more to do! Set aside your square number deck and grab the 2"x3" rectangular pieces. These will be used to make a deck of two suits, each numbered from 0 to 20.

The first suit is red. Write the numbers 0 through 20 in the upper left corner, then rotate the cards and write the same number in the opposite corner of each card. Repeat this process to make a second suit in blue. (The colors aren't really important, as long as they can be easily distinguished.)

Variations d

Printables:

Download and print your own Number Deck and 0-20 Deck. Be sure to print in color and use thick paper. We also have a black-and-white version of the Number Deck and 0-20 Deck that you could print and color in.

Purchasables:

There are some card decks available to buy that could be used for our games. The downside is they won't be your own one-of-a-kind creation. The upside is they'll be easier to shuffle. Here are some options we have found:

• Number Deck: The Tiny Polka Dot game has 6 suits, but any of our games could be played with 4 of the suits.
• 0-20 Deck: This deck is for classroom use, so it comes with 6 full decks of cards. Any 2 suits from a single deck would work for our games.

Stampables:

Use LEGO bricks to create your own ten frame stamp. First, find 10 small 1-stud lego pieces. Put these together on the bottom of a larger piece, so that they form a 2 by 5 rectangle.

Use a stamp pad to stamp your ten frame onto cards. Then color in the dots with marker.

Card-Carrying Monster:

Take a look at our Hungry Monster game for a fun way to keep your cards together when you're not using them.