Target Number Relay
Teams relay number cards and use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to hit a target number set by the teacher. Students practice speed, strategy, and mental math as a team.
How to play
- Make 5 teams of 5 lined up behind a cone with a whiteboard and a marker. About 50 feet away, in a hoop for each team, place 20 face-down cards numbered 1 to 10 (2 min).
- The teacher shows the target number, such as 36, on a large whiteboard and starts play with the whistle.
- Each runner brings back one card per trip and places it face up next to the whiteboard. A team may hold no more than 6 cards.
- On their turn, a runner may instead return a card the team cannot use and trade it for a new one.
- While others run, waiting teammates test equations on the whiteboard. When the team hits the target or 2 minutes run out, the captain writes the final equation (5 rounds of 3 min including checking).
- Scoring: 5 points for an exact match, 3 for within 2, and 1 for within 5. The captain rotates each round, and the teacher shares the best equation in the class.
Rules
- One card per trip, and no peeking before you pick it up.
- Each card can be used only once in the equation.
- Run along the side and pass the turn with a high five.
Variations
Easier
Use only addition and subtraction with targets under 20.
Standard
All four operations with targets between 20 and 60.
Harder
Three-digit targets, required parentheses, or cards with decimals.
Adaptations
- Students with limited mobility: serve as the team's fixed calculator at the whiteboard and check equations before they are final.
- Students with math learning disabilities or autism: provide a multiplication chart and adjusted targets for their pair.
- Fitness level: lengthen the distance or vary the locomotor skill to match fitness levels.
Learning goals
- Combine numbers using all four operations to reach a target.
- Choose when to take a card and when to trade it based on team strategy.
- Collaborate and explain their thinking to teammates.
Equipment for a class of 25
- number cards: 100
- whiteboards: 6
- markers: 6
- cones: 5
- hoops: 5
Teacher tip
Check ahead of time that each target can be reached with numbers 1 to 10.
PatioLab has "Target Number Relay" and 3999 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More main activities for Elementary
1-on-1 Mini Volleyball Up and Down the River
One-on-one mini volleyball duels on 3 x 3 m courts under a rope 2 m high, using a receive, self-set and send rule.
1-on-1 Side-Step Square Duels
In pairs, inside 5 x 5 m squares, an attacker holding a football tries to get from the starting side to the far side without the defender pulling a flag.
1v1 Four-Gate Soccer Duels
In a square with a gate on each side, two players go head to head and score by dribbling through any of the four gates.
2-on-2 Mini Volleyball with a Neutral Setter
Two-on-two mini volleyball with a neutral setter under the rope who always plays for the team with the ball.
2v1 Attack Waves to Mini Goals
Two attackers take on one defender and try to score on a small goal in under 10 seconds.
2v2 Alley Mini-Volleyball
A 2v2 mini-volleyball game on a very long, narrow court, about 33×10 feet, where the only way to win a point is by playing for depth: short near the net or deep to the…