DECIMAL DUEL

A Strategic Maths Game for Decimals: Decimal Duel!

Get ready for a high-stakes duel where place value is your greatest weapon! Welcome to Decimal Duel, a free online maths game that turns the challenge of comparing decimals into a fun and strategic card game. If you’re looking for an engaging game to help your Key Stage 2 child master tenths and hundredths, the duel is about to begin!

This game requires more than just luck; it demands smart thinking. Players are dealt a hand of random digit cards and must use their knowledge of place value to build the biggest decimal number possible. By dragging their cards into the correct slots, they go head-to-head against the computer or a friend to see whose number is greater. It’s a fantastic way to develop a deep and flexible understanding of how decimals work.

How to Play

1. **Choose Your Challenge:** First, select the number of decimal places you want to play with (1, 2, or 3). Then, choose your opponent: play against the computer or challenge a friend in 2-player mode.
2. **Get Your Cards:** You will be dealt your digit cards for the round.
3. **Build Your Number:** Drag each card from your hand into a place value slot (e.g., “Ones,” “Tenths,” “Hundredths”). Think carefully! Where should your highest card go to make the biggest number?
4. **The Reveal:** Once you’ve placed all your cards, the computer (or Player 2) will build their number.
5. **See Who Wins:** The game will compare the two decimal numbers and declare a winner for the round. The player with the highest score is the ultimate Decimal Duel champion!

Learning Objectives & Curriculum Links

Decimal Duel is a powerful educational tool that directly supports key learning objectives within the UK’s Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2) maths curriculum.

Target Age Group:

This game is ideal for children in **Year 3, Year 4, and Year 5 (ages 7-10)** who are learning about decimals. The ability to choose between one and two decimal places makes it adaptable for different stages of learning.

Key Maths Focus:

• **Decimal Place Value:** The core of the game supports the Year 4 curriculum aim to “recognise and write decimal equivalents of any number of tenths or hundredths” and “find the effect of dividing a one- or two-digit number by 10 and 100, identifying the value of the digits in the answer as ones, tenths and hundredths.”
• **Comparing Decimals:** The game provides constant practice for the objective to “compare numbers with the same number of decimal places up to two decimal places.”
• **Strategic Thinking:** Players must understand that a `7` in the tenths column is more valuable than a `9` in the hundredths column. This builds deep number sense and strategic thinking beyond simple whole number comparison.

Tips for Teachers and Parents

This interactive decimal game is a brilliant resource for both the classroom and for supporting learning at home.

• **For Teachers:** Use Decimal Duel on your interactive whiteboard as a fantastic whole-class starter. Deal a hand of cards and have a class discussion about the best possible number to make and why. It’s a great way to assess understanding of place value. The 2-player mode is also perfect for paired activities on tablets.
• **For Parents:** Decimals can be a tricky concept. This game provides a fun, strategic way to practice that feels different from worksheets. You can play against your child and talk through the choices you are both making: “You have a 9! Is it better to make 9 tenths, or 9 hundredths? Which is bigger?”

Enjoy the duel! Don’t forget to explore our other free maths games for all primary school ages.