If kids can understand that they tell the spreadsheet WHERE to FIND the number instead telling it the actual number formulas make much more sense.
I've attacked cell location with Geometric Shapes in the past. But I wanted something more fun.
Last week, I played spreadsheet bingo with our 5th graders and they really liked it.
I created 5 Bingo boards and posted them on the teacher's website.
I downloaded the app Randomiser. I chose name picker and added in all the possible cell locations (A1, B1, C1...). I saved the group as spreadsheet bingo.
They went to the teacher's website and downloaded/copied the bingo board of their choice.
On the Randomiser app, I loaded the group I created and tapped send to random.
To "call' a cell location I tapped the single arrow.
If the cell location was outlined on their bingo board, students typed a X in the cell.
Play until someone calls Bingo!
We just played one time then moved into a lesson on creating a budget. The kids loved it!
Check out the boards here: