We just started introducing Fact Families in Everyday Math last week. Most of my students caught on pretty quickly, but some needed something hands on that got them physically involved. So, I came up with this idea. I used three page protector sheets and put yarn in the holes so they could hang on students necks. Then I slipped in three numbers to make a fact family. I wrote a + sign and = sign on the board and had students make an addition fact with their numbers. Then they had to do a “turn around fact” to make the other addition problem. I made a huge deal about how the biggest number person did not move, only the two smaller numbers. Then I put a – sign on the board and had students move to make a subtraction problem. Then they switched to make the other subtraction problem. We discussed that the biggest number started both subtraction problems.
Here is a Fact Family review sheet for you as well.