Bank Game

Age
3-6

Materials

 * In a box there are 45 Unit Beads, 45 Bars of Ten, 45 Wooden Squares of One Hundred and 9 Wooden Cubes of One Thousand.
 * One Wooden Tray with a Unit Holder.

Homemade Materials Homemade Thousand Cube

Presentation

 * 1) Invite a child for the Bank Game Presentation.
 * 2) If necessary, introduce the child to the Wooden Set of Hundreds and Thousands.
 * 3) Explain that they are equal to the Bead Material with which he/she is already familiar.
 * 4) Tell that child that you are going to give her a large quantity of Bead Material (this includes wooden) on a tray.
 * 5) Fill her tray with a substantial amount of Bead Material from all four hierarchies.
 * 6) Ask the child if she can tell you how much is on the tray.
 * 7) The child may guess, or just say that she does not know.
 * 8) Tell the child that you will help her count the Bead Material.
 * 9) Sort the material into the four hierarchies on the mat from left to right, with the Thousands on the left.
 * 10) Ask the child to start counting the Units into the bead dish, and to stop at ten.
 * 11) When she reaches ten, the teacher explains that since ten Units equals one Ten-Bar, she can exchange the ten Units for a Ten-Bar.
 * 12) Show the child how to put the ten Units into the bank, and take a Ten-Bar in return, and place it with the other Tens on the mat.
 * 13) Continue exchanging until you are left with fewer than ten Units.
 * 14) Start counting the Ten-Bars, “One ten, two tens, three tens”….up to ten tens.
 * 15) Remind the child that we stop after we have counted ten.
 * 16) Assist the child in trading ten Tens for a Hundred Square, using exactly the same process as she learned with the Units.
 * 17) Again, when the child is left with less than ten Tens, have her place them to the left of the Units, so that they are beside each other.
 * 18) Continue with the remaining hierarchies.
 * 19) After the activity is completed, count the remaining material and say to the child, “Remember I asked you how much was on your tray? This is the answer: (e.g.) seven thousand, five hundred, seven tens and six units.” Or, if the child is able, the teacher would say, “Seven thousand five hundred and seventy-six.”
 * 20) Encourage the child to play the Bank Game with other children until she thoroughly understands the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIvxeErRp0 Bank Game Video Presentation with the Decimal Cards and Golden Beads

Purpose

 * To help the child experience the ordering effect of the laws of the decimal system and to teach the child how to physically exchange ten of one hierarchy for one of the next hierarchy.

Extension 1
After a child thoroughly understands the Presentation process, show him how he can place the large correlating Number Cards, which represent their total in written form, under the Bead Material.

Extension 2
This extension is provided before you introduce dynamic subtraction to a child. Explain that you can reverse the procedure that the child already understands: one Thousand for ten Hundred, one Hundred for ten Tens, one Ten for ten Units.

Links
Bank Game in a Montessori Classroom