Slow:

A few variations are possible for younger players. Instead of playing simultaneously, take turns. This will result in a lot of skipped turns when a player is "stuck" and has no cards to put down, but it will give young players a chance to look carefully for any opportunities to put down a card. You can also play with both players leaving their hands face up, so you can help your child notice plays they missed.

Two Speedy:

Practice adding and subtracting 2 (instead of 10). In this version, players can put down cards that are 1 more, 1 less, 2 more, or 2 less than the card beneath (not 10 more or 10 less).

Deck Alternatives:

Instead of making a 0-20 Deck, you can print one (in color or in black and white), or you can buy this one we found. It's for classroom use, so it comes with 6 full decks of cards. Any one suit from a single deck would work for our games. The downside is it won't be your own one-of-a-kind creation. The upside is it'll be easier to shuffle.

Place Value:

Don't let all the fun fool you! This game helps young players practice adding and subtracting 10. This is a great opportunity to talk about place value (without necessarily using that term). Consider "17," for example. The "1" means "1 ten" and the "7" means "7 ones." So when helping a child think through 17-10, say something like: "Hmmm, 17 means 1 ten and 7 ones. So if we take away 1 ten from that, we'll have no tens and 7 ones. What would that leave us?" Similarly, a single-digit number like "4" means "no tens, and 4 ones." If we add 1 to that, we have "no tens, and 5 ones." Or, if we add 10, we have "1 ten and 4 ones," which we write as "14." The important thing isn't to be technical, but to emphasize groups of tens and ones.

Analyzing the Game:

As we saw in the examples in the instructions, above, most cards in the middle pile have 3 cards that can be put down on top of them. Ask kids if they can figure out which 2 cards in the deck have only 2 cards that can be put down on top of them. (The answer is 0, which can only take a 1 or 10, and 20, which can only take a 19 or 10.) Also ask which card can have 4 cards placed on top. (The answer is 10, which can take 11, 9, 20, and 0.)