Number Bond Builders
Library · shared by Dabbled Public School
About this activity
Number Bond Builders is a math game for grades 3-5 where students act as city planners, splitting large addition problems into number bonds to build a tower floor by floor.
Who is Number Bond Builders for?
Suits grades 3-5 students who are practising multi-digit addition strategies, including place-value breakdown and making friendly numbers like rounding to the next ten or hundred.
What does Number Bond Builders teach, and how?
Students split one addend into two parts using an interactive number bond, move a piece to form a friendly number (like 398 + 2 = 400), then solve the simpler resulting sum. Problems progress through stages, with base-ten blocks, hints, and a 'Try Another Way' option to compare strategies.
How is success measured in Number Bond Builders?
Each correct sum raises a floor on the building, and a final summary screen shows problems solved, shortcuts found independently, and stars earned, with badges for progress rather than penalties for inefficient but valid answers.
How long does Number Bond Builders take, and what does it need?
A full playthrough builds one city block over several problems within a single session, ending with options to build again or try a harder project. It works on touch or keyboard input, with an optional sound toggle that defaults to on.