A Little Background
For years I had been looking for a fun math activity to use during the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament. I wanted to mimic a bracket tournament within our class to get students excited, while allowing all students the opportunity to participate in a little friendly competition. When I came across the Shut the Box board game on one of my Amazon searches, I knew this was the game that could bring my vision to life! Shut the Box is the perfect game to create a quick, fun tournament where students of all levels of mathematical understanding can participate! The added bonus is that students are completing mathematical problems while having a ton of fun!
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If you’re a teacher, buy this game. If you’re a parent, buy this game. If you don’t currently own this game, BUY THIS GAME! Seriously, you need this game in your life! To make it even easier, you can buy it here through my Amazon Affiliate program link. I may make a small commission, but don’t worry, it won’t increase your cost!
Have I said how fantastic Shut the Box is? Even my students who avoid math every chance they get beg to play. I have the four person game option and absolutely recommend it so that the players don’t need to record scores.
Attention Parents: I have a second box at home that my four year old twins LOVE to play as well… yes, even four year olds can play Shut the Box! I love the flexibility this game offers. While my own children are working on number recognition and basic addition facts at four, my fifth grade students are digging into strategies and combinations. Students in middle school could look at probability or order of operations. Shut the Box truly allows people of all ages and levels of mathematical understanding to have fun while honing their math skills!
How to Play
Shut the Box can be played individually or with multiple players.
Objective: Turn down all number blocks to “shut the box” on a player’s side.
- All players must stand their number blocks upright to “open the box.”
- The player with the highest roll of both dice goes first.
- The first player rolls both dice and calculates the sum of the numbers rolled.
- Using this total, the player will put down 1 or 2 number blocks that total the sum rolled. (You can adjust this rule so that players can put down ANY combination- including 3 or 4 number block combinations.)
- This player continues rolling until he cannot put down any number blocks on a roll (or he puts down ALL number blocks to “shut the box”).
- Any number blocks left open add to this player’s score.
- Then, the next player begins rolling following the same rules.
- The lowest score wins!
Below you can view the difference in combination rules to help you make a decision. In class, we typically play using the rule that students can only put down 1 or 2 number blocks, however, allowing more options heightens critical thinking and strategy.
Educational Benefits
Shut the Box has a wide range of educational benefits depending on a player’s level of mathematical understanding.
- Number recognition (for younger players)
- Basic operation fluency
- Critical thinking & strategy
- Number sense and combination building
- Flexible rules that allow additional mathematical concepts
- Probability (upper grades)
How I Organize My Class Tournament
I follow the basic rules in 5th grade (1 or 2 combinations), but the game can easily be adjusted for older students by incorporating more combination options, a third dice, or the order of operations.
I have found that the tournament is more fun when students compete in 2-person teams. I like the teamwork and encouragement that comes with students working together during the tournament.
I allow students to pick their teammate. Then, I draw names for placement in the tournament bracket, which is displayed at the front of the room. Of course, the number of teams does not always work out perfectly. If I have a few too many teams, I will randomly draw teams that have to compete in a “play-in” game. This just means they have to play an extra game in order to advance to the tournament bracket. Or if I need more teams, I will ask teachers to play, which is always a hit! Students love competing against their teachers (especially when they beat us)!
I teach two math classes, so I put class teams on opposite sides of the tournament bracket so that games can be played during class time. Then each class has a winning team that heads off with the winning team of the other class.
Rules for Teams of Two
Teammates stand opposite each other when playing and play goes clockwise. When all four players have completed their turns, the teammates will add their scores together so that each team has one score. The lower of the two scores is the winner and advances in the tournament.
My classes are able to play a few games at the end of class each day so the tournament went fairly quickly (when students weren’t absent). The winning team received a “box” of goodies (candy, glow sticks, drinks, etc.) and a champion certificate.
More Advanced Rule Ideas
Order of Operations: If you are currently exploring the order of operations, add a third dice to the game. Students can roll all three and then create expressions that equal the number block they need to put down. You can include all four operations and even exponents!
Probability: Explore the probability of sums to help with student strategy when playing.
Use different combination options: In my fifth grade class, we typically use the rule that students can put 1 or 2 number blocks down for each roll. You could adjust this rule so that students can put down 1, 2, 3, or 4 number blocks that create the sum. For example, if a student rolls a 6 and a 5 (sum of 11), he could put down a 1, 2, 3, and 5 (which also has a sum of 11).
FREE Resources
I want to make implementation of this game and tournament as easy as possible for all educators, so I created a FREE download with directions, 4 bracket options (8 teams, 16 teams, 32 teams, & 64 teams), and champion award certificates. You can click here to download this FREE product! While you are on my page, I would love for you to click the star to follow my store so that you can receive alerts when I add new items!
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Enjoy!
