The Stamp Game: Dynamic division (with change)

How dynamic division is presented with the stamp game

The directress begins the activity by placing the expanded notation card in front of the child and reminding him about how the sum is written. She also reminds the child about division and what it means. She tells him that division means sharing equally.

She reads the operation to the child (9658 divided by 2) and reminds the child how to form a number with the stamps. She then takes out the corresponding amount of units for the dividend from the box and places them vertically to the right-hand side of the mat.

The directress sets out the tens to the left of the units, followed by the hundreds and then the thousands. She ensures to leave enough space on the left of the mat for the skittles when dividing The directress can begin placing the thousand stamps first, moving onto the units as everything with division starts with the thousands)

She tells the child that they need to divide this number by 2, therefore they need to place 2 skittles on the mat. She reminds the child that when we do division we start with the thousands. The directress shows the child how to share out the thousand stamps between the 2 skittles, she ensures to place the thousands on the left-hand of the mat, laying the stamps one below the other.

The child realizes that there is an extra thousand stamp, the directress reminds him that he can change the thousand stamp for 10 hundreds. The child then exchanges it from the box and places the hundreds in the hundreds category. The child is encouraged to follow the same procedure with the hundreds, sharing them out equally to the right of the thousands, one below the other.

The child then shares out the tens, but realizes again that he has an extra one. He then exchanges the ten stamp for 10 units and places the units with the unit’s category. The child then moves onto the units, sharing them out equally between the two skittles.

The directress reminds the child that the answer is what one skittle gets (4829) She shows him where to record the answer with the correct coloured marker. The directress begins with easier operations, gradually moving to more difficult ones.

Looking for more Montessori activities?

Here is a list of all the Montessori Maths activities including Early Maths, Introduction to the Decimal System, Seguin Boards, The Hundred Board, The Short Bead Stair, Bead Chains, The Snake Game, Group Operations, The Large Number Rods, Recording with the Small Number Rods, The Short Bead Stair, The Strip Boards, The Boards, The Stamp Game, The Abacus, The Dot Game, and Fractions. Just click on the page you want to learn about to go there.