Bank Game Activity Set
Made by Nienhuis Montessori · shipped by Heutink International (Netherlands) About the maker
Exercise cards with divider tabs in a wooden box, extending the bank game. The bank game is the one piece of decimal work that needs other people: somebody keeps the bank, somebody comes to change ten hundreds for a thousand, and the exchange has to be agreed rather than simply performed. That makes it the material most likely to stall for want of a task everyone can see, which is what these cards provide. Bank game sold separately. Wood and cardstock, for ages 3 to 12.
“The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge.”
The Bank Game Activity Set introduces multiplication through concrete manipulation of quantities, allowing children to physically exchange units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. This wooden storage box with numbered dividers creates a visual and tactile representation of place value, essential for understanding how numbers grow through repeated addition.
- Understanding place value through physical organization of quantities
- Mastering multi-digit multiplication with concrete materials
- Developing systematic approaches to complex calculations
- Building confidence in exchanging between decimal categories
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The problem cards guide children through increasingly complex calculations while the compartmentalized design helps them organize their thinking about numerical relationships. Unlike abstract number work, the Bank Game Activity Set enables children to see multiplication as groups of equal quantities being combined, making the connection between repeated addition and multiplication visible. The structured dividers in the wooden box mirror the decimal system's organization, helping children internalize how our number system works through direct manipulation.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Place the wooden storage box on a large work mat. Arrange golden bead materials or number cards in the dividers according to place value. Select an appropriate problem card based on the child's current skill level.
- 1
Present a multiplication problem card, such as 234 × 3
Start with single-digit multipliers to build confidence - 2
Have the child build 234 using materials in the appropriate dividers three times
Encourage counting aloud to reinforce the concept of repeated groups - 3
Combine all units, then all tens, then all hundreds
Work systematically from right to left to establish good habits - 4
Exchange 10 units for 1 ten, 10 tens for 1 hundred as needed
Let the child discover when exchanges are necessary - 5
Count the final quantity and record the answer
Connect the concrete work to written notation
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
In classrooms
Around the world
European brands
Nienhuis, GAM, Educo
AMI approved
To the association standard
Bank Game Activity Set
