Dice Games for Math Want a quick and easy way to instantly make math more fun for your students? Give them some dice. Seriously – the simplest math activity becomes 100x more fun when dice are involved. Fortunately, there are so many ways to use dice in the math classroom for various concepts. Today I’m sharing with you 6 of my favorite dice games for math. Math Dice Games for 2nd Grade 1. Make That Number Make that Number is a simple dice game to practice addition and subtraction. All you need is 2 or 3 dice and a list of numbers 0-12 (for 2 dice) or 0-18 (for 3…
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Guest Post: 5 Engaging Sight Word Games
Teaching Sight Words using Engaging Sight Word Games Today on the blog, Erin from Classrooms and Cats shares all about her favorite engaging sight word games that she uses in her classroom, and hopes that you will implement in yours as well! Hello friends, my name is Erin Custer and I blog over at Classrooms and Cats! I have been a Transitional Kindergarten teacher for 7 years and I am all about helping other teachers find fun and engaging ways to help their students learn. Early Education is where I have spent my entire 10 year teaching career and it is my passion. I am eager to share my ideas…
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A Fun Easter STEM Activity That Will Challenge Your Students
Easter STEM Activity Easter is just around the corner! Are you looking for some fun Easter activities to do with your students in the classroom? If so, this easy Easter STEM activity perfect for you. It’s low-prep and inexpensive – all you need is some plastic Easter eggs and about 15 minutes. The best part? It’s challenging! Not only does this activity get students thinking creatively, it also teaches teamwork and patience. Keep reading for more details on how to implement this Easter STEM activity! Easy Easter STEM Challenge The goal of this Easter STEM challenge is simple: build the tallest Easter egg tower. Students will carefully stack Easter egg…
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How to Do a Math Easter Egg Hunt
Math Easter Egg Hunt Okay, y’all know how much I love seasonal activities! Hands down one of my favorite holiday activities is a math Easter egg hunt. I’m a big fan of scavenger hunt-type games to begin with, so of course I had to come up with a math version to celebrate Easter. Math Easter egg hunts are literally SO easy to do! I’ll walk you through step by step how to set it up and run the hunt. It’s such a fun activity that your students are sure to love! Since most teachers will not physically be in the classroom before Easter due to Coronavirus, I will also run…
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My Favorite Activities for Community Building in the Classroom (+ FREEBIES)
Community Building in the Classroom Having a strong classroom community is arguably the most important aspect of teaching. Our classroom community is what makes students feel welcome and comfortable when they’re at school. Community building in the classroom is something I am super passionate about, so today I’m sharing with you my favorite activities to build a strong classroom community! Classroom Community Building Why build a strong classroom community? Our students spend approximately 40 hours a week in our classroom – equivalent to the amount of time adults spend at their full time job. Think about it. Would you like to work in an environment where your coworkers don’t really…
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FREE Activities for At Home During Coronavirus School Closures
I did not have this blog post planned – but can you ever plan for a worldwide pandemic? I guess not. Many schools across the country are closing in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. And even if your school doesn’t close, parents may still choose to keep their students home out of caution. Because of this, many teachers and resource creators (and education business, too!) around the country have banded together to offer free resources to teachers and parents during this time that can easily be done at home. The following is a master list of MANY of the free resources out there. If you are a teacher…
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3 Helpful Tips for Successful Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences Does anything give a teacher more anxiety than parent teacher conferences? I don’t know about you, but I always dreaded conference season! Even though I’ve been blessed to work with some of the most incredible parents in my career, I still get so nervous before meeting with them! Over the years, parent teacher conferences have become much easier for me to run. Don’t get me wrong, I still deal with the nerves – but I have found a system that works well for me. Keep reading for all my tips for running a successful parent teacher conference! Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences Tip #1: Start Early By…
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4 March Madness Activities for Your Classroom
March Madness Activities March Madness – also known as a college basketball fan’s favorite time of the year! Personally, I’m not much into college sports, so March Madness doesn’t mean anything to me. However, I’m a big fan of working seasonal themes into my lessons, so of course I always add in some March Madness activities with my students! If you’re looking to do the same, here are some ideas I’ve compiled for how you can work March Madness into your lesson plans this month. March Madness Math Activities Math Madness March Madness is perhaps best known for its tournament bracket. Every year, people challenge themselves to choose the winning…
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3 Cheap, Easy Math Activities You Can Make Out of Paper Plates
Easy Math Activities As a math teacher, I’m always looking for easy and affordable math activities to incorporate into my classroom! I’m all about making learning fun, without having to spend a lot of my own time or money. One way I save money as a teacher is by using what I already have. I’m sure you can relate when I say that over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of random stuff in my classroom. Don’t get me wrong: I love it when you call for donations and the parents get it done. But sometimes, that results in a surplus of materials that I don’t end up needing. One…
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My Students Love This Super Simple Measurement Activity
Easy Measurement Activity Length measurement can frankly be a pretty boring concept we have to teach our math students. There’s only so many times you can measure things in the classroom before it gets old! Fortunately, I have a super simple yet engaging measurement activity to share with you today. Your students will love it! Measurement Activity for 2nd Grade I used this measurement activity for 2nd grade, though I think it would also work well in 1st or 3rd. This activity was actually built into our curriculum and kicked off our measurement unit. The activity had students make their own rulers. It gives them good practice with iteration (using…
