Soldier-Soldier-General
Introducing “Soldier-Soldier-General,” a fun and engaging card game designed to help kids enhance their math skills, particularly in addition involving positive and negative numbers. Perfect for 2 or 3 players, this game combines the thrill of competition with the educational benefits of arithmetic practice. In the two-player version, players race to quickly add up the values of flipped cards, while in the three-player variant, players must deduce the value of their own card based on the sum announced by the “General.” Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or simply looking for an enjoyable way to reinforce math skills, “Soldier-Soldier-General” offers an exciting and interactive approach to learning.
Here is how the two-player version is played:
- Deal all the cards so each player has 26 cards face down in front of them
- Black cards have positive values and Red cards have negative values
- Aces are 1/-1, Jacks are 11/-11, Queens are 12/-12, and Kings are 13/-13
- The dealer say “Flip”, and both players simultaneously turn over their top card face up on the
desk next to each other.
- Players race to shout out the sum of the two cards. The first to state the
correct sum wins and takes both cards to add to the bottom of their deck.
- When one player holds all the cards in their deck, they are declared the winner.
This is how the three-player version is played:
- Choose 1 player to be the General. The other 2 players are Soldiers.
- The General deals the cards to the Soldiers, so each Soldier has 26 cards face down in front of them.
- The General then says “Flip,” the “Soldiers” turn one card outward and hold it to their forehead face out without looking at it.
- The General then announces the sum and the Soldiers, who can now see each others cards but cannot see their own race to say what they think is the value of their own card by subtracting the value of the card visible to them from the sum.
- The first to state the correct sum wins, and takes both cards to add to the
bottom of their deck.
- When one player holds of the cards, they are declared the winner.
- The students then rotate so that each player is the General once.
With “Soldier-Soldier-General,” kids can enjoy a lively and competitive card game while strengthening their math skills. Give it a try and watch as learning math becomes an exciting adventure!
