Rummikub is something my older kids are really good at, but my kindergartner is not quite old enough to understand all the complicated rules. During the day, sometimes we “play” Rummikub just her and I. Instead of the standard rules, I use Rummikub to work with her on her math skills. My daughter is a very tactile learner, so she loves to play with all the colorful tiles.
First I ask her to count out 12 tiles for each of us. Then we play Rummikub like we would play Go Fish trying to get matching numbers and laying them on the table. I make sure to repeatedly say the names of the numbers as we are playing to help her memorize them. Now that she has these numbers down, we use the tiles to make two digit numbers. Once she has her numbers down, we will use the tiles to practice her addition and subtraction skills. And since Rummikub tiles go up to 13, the tiles will be a great way to practice her times tables!