Family and Homeschool Activities for Teaching Fact Families

These family and homeschool activities are designed to complement the Addition and Subtraction Fact Families topic page on BrainPOP Jr.

Fact Family Do-Si-Do!

This game requires three players. Write fact family numbers (for example: 6, 3, and 9) on a three large pieces of paper, and tape one number on each player’s chest. Play music as you do-si-do, changing order in a row. When the music stops, come up with an operation that relates your numbers! Are you 9, 3, and 6 from left to right? Then you can form a subtraction fact! If you’re 3, 6 and 9, you can form an addition fact! 

Fact Family Home

Invite your child to draw a picture of a four-story home with three windows in every story. Put two minus signs between the first two windows on the bottom floors, and a plus sign between the first two windows on the top floors. Then put an equal sign between the last two windows on all four floors. Can your child fill the windows with fact family equations? You can also fill in the fourth floor with 3 + 4 = 7 and have your child complete the other equations.  

Fact Family Card Game

This two-person card game is a great way to practice fact families. Take a deck of cards and remove all the Jacks, Queens, and Kings. Shuffle the deck and place it face down on a table between you and your child. Turn over four cards so they’re face up in a row. Challenge your child to see if any three of the four cards make up a fact family. If they do, your child should show you how the three are a fact family by showing the four facts, then take the cards and turn over three new ones. Now you are to find a fact family. If there are no families in the four cards, turn over one more card and keep doing this until you can identify a family.