Absolute Zero Math Games Review and Discount Code

As we continue on this gameschooling journey, I've found so many benefits.  One of the greatest benefits I've seen is math practice.  There's just something perfect about pairing math with games.  Math is inherent to games.  From number recognition to scorekeeping, games involve math.  And math is one of those subjects that often intimidates both students and parents.  So putting everyone at ease through a game is a great way to make math practice more appealing!

That being said, I've been on the lookout for good math games!  And that's how I discovered Absolute Zero Card Games!





We received 3 different games.  Let me take a moment and share them with you.  The first game we received was:

Ten Fish (2-4 Players)


This is a twist on Go Fish, but its been brilliantly developed to help your child understand ten frames and "friends of ten."



What I love:
1.) The cards each show the number AND the corresponding ten frame.  This is a great way to help your child visualize numbers and what they mean!  It also is a great way for them to see visually what they need to add to 10!

2.) My 5 year old can play it!  I printed out a "friends of ten" chart for my just-turned-five year old and we went over it together.  Then I left the chart in sight during the game in case my little one needed help.But even without that chart, the fact that there is a ten frame on each card makes it playable by any child who can count to ten!

3.) You can play several other games with the deck!  - The basic game is a Go Fish type of game, but there are other suggestions for game play, including Concentration, Addition War, Multiplication War, and others!  This makes the game not only versatile, but helps it grow with your child!

4.) You actually "go fish!" - It may seem like a little thing, but I love that they changed the "go fish" mechanic up a bit.  Instead of having a draw pile that you draw from, you spread the draw pile out all over the center of the table to make a "pond."  So you really "go fish" and get a new card from the pond!  I thought that was so creative and cute!

The second game we received was Absolute Zero (2-4 Players)


This game is a great way to dive deep into the number line and negative numbers! You draw cards and discard cards in an effort to get your card score to zero.  The first person to do so wins.



What I love:

1.) The cards show the number AND the word(s) for that number!  (So a card will say, for example, "-4" and have the words "Negative Four."  This helps younger kids to remember how they should say negative numbers.

2.) Negative numbers (-1 to -12) are red and positive numbers (1 to 12) are black.  This, again, helps younger kids recognize immediately whether they are working with negatives or positives.

3.) This deck also has other game suggestions! You can use just the black cards (positive numbers) to play a two-player game called "Find the Difference." You can also play Addition or Multiplication War.

4.) The negative numbers make this better than an average deck of cards.  - Although I love playing all sorts of card games with a regular deck of cards, this deck is great because of the negative numbers.  It really helps with number line understanding!

The last game we received was Hunch: A Math Mystery Game -


This game has such an interesting concept! You basically write down your "hunch" on what number card you think will be revealed.  Once the card is turned over, determine how far off (on the number line) your hunch was from the actual card number.  Then decide if you'd like to add or subtract that difference from your running total. Your goal is to get your score to zero (or as close as possible).



What I love:

1.) The cards show a the numeral and where it is on the number line!  - There's a number line that goes from positive 5 to negative 5 on the side of each card that has the number circled.  This gives younger kids a very good visual of numbers in relation to each other on the number line!

2.) It involves several math concepts.  Since there are only a few choices (-5 to 5), this game leads to some great discussions of probability.  It also leads to some great discussions of the number line and numbers in relation to each other, dealing with negative numbers, and choosing whether adding or subtracting your number will get you closer to zero.

3.) The cards have great illustrations. The numbers all look like machinery, inventions, etc.  Its such a creative design, and I found it very appealing!

So as you can see, my overall impression of these games was very favorable.  I love that they cover several mathematical concepts.  I also love that there are several options for gameplay, which makes the games good with multiple ages and levels.  I love that the games were created by a teacher!  Betsy Mays taught middle school math for 20 years! She also spent 5 years as her district's math curriculum and instruction specialist!  This gives her a great amount of expertise on how children learn and what will help them!

Lastly, the wonderful folks at Absolute Zero Games have gracious supplied me with a discount code to share with my readers!  You can head to the Absolute Zero Game Amazon Storefront and use code 15Mathgames to get 15% off of any of the individual games or the Ten Fish gift bundle!  But hurry!  This discount code expires on 02-29-2020!

I received these games, free of charge from Absolute Zero Games, in exchange for my honest review.