Mental Math Game: I Have, You Need

In the context of our curriculum, Bridges Second Edition, we've been introduced to a quick, easy new game: I Have, You Need. The premise is simple and can be played with a pair of students or with an entire class.

1. Set a target number.
2. Call out "I have ________ (a number)."
3. Someone responds with "You need __________ (a number)."

I quickly do this with the entire class. Here are some examples:

Numbers to 100
Teacher: I have 22. (point to a student)
Student: You need 78.

Numbers to 10
Teacher: I have 7.
Student: You need 3.

Fractions to 1
Teacher: I have 4/8.
Student: You need 4/8. (Or 1/2.)

Decimals (as we're doing now!)
Teacher: I have 0.15
Student: You need 0.85.

Students can also pose problems for one other, taking turns with the questions/answers.

This has become a wonderful, quick tool to assess fluency. To provide students additional practice in mental math, try using the free, online game, Numberbond. Choose a target number of 5, 10, 100, or set your own number.