Academics' Choice Award™ Winner

PIVOT

Description

36x2 = 89-17. In our card game, PIVOT, you will have fun matching such equivalent calculations. It features two levels of difficulty, Level I (21 cards) and Level II (31 cards), both of which are included in the deck, along with instructions and example cards.

Any two cards will have precisely one calculation from each that will match. 2-5 players can play the game by distributing the cards equally, keeping aside one card face up for all to see.

Find a calculation on one of your cards that matches a calculation on the open card. Shout your answer and beat the other players to put your card face-up on the open card. Race to discard all your cards first and win the round.

The game's Level I begins with common calculations that we have found helpful in our daily lives, involving addition, subtraction, division, and fractions. We have designed the game in such a way that anyone from 11 years and up will be able to play, though we have found that some eight-year-olds also enjoy playing PIVOT.

Level I, with its more straightforward calculations, introduces the game and builds confidence in the players. Each pair of cards will require each player to perform up to 10 calculations mentally, and by the time the hand is completed, at least 40 calculations will have been made. Level II, with only one more calculation per card, will make players do more than 70 calculations per hand.

With only a few hands, players can become comfortable dealing with numbers and performing commonly used calculations mentally, hence building their comfort and confidence with math.