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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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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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…
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My 4 Favorite Easy Telling Time Activities
Telling Time Activities Telling time is a super important skill for students to master, but sometimes it can really be a struggle! Not only that, but it can frankly be quite boring to teach. If you’ve found it challenging to engage your students while they learn to master this concept, consider trying some of these easy telling time activities! 4 Activities on Telling Time 1. Have students make their own clocks. There’s no better way for students to take ownership of their learning than with something they made themselves! Having students make their own clocks is a great telling time activity that will make them excited about showing time on…
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5 Fun Multiplication Activities That Will Reach All Learners
Multiplication was always one of my favorite topics to teach in math. It’s also a very important concept that our students need to master. When I first started teaching, I thought that teaching multiplication was pretty boring. However, over time I’ve discovered many multiplication activities that make the concept more fun for not only the students, but the teachers, too! If you’re stumped on how to teach multiplication in a fun and exciting way, here are 5 multiplication activities that your students are sure to love. 1. Circles and Stars Circles and Stars is a fun multiplication game that helps students recognize multiplication as equal groups. To play, students simply…
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7 Fun Math Games for Kids Using Playing Cards
Do you have a deck of playing cards in your classroom? If not, drive yourself down to Dollar Tree right now and buy the whole lot! A deck of cards is a necessity for every math class, and one of the easiest ways to add in fun learning activities. Playing cards are so versatile and can be used in so many ways! Today, I’m sharing with you 7 math games for kids using playing cards. Card games are perfect for those rare days where you find yourself with a spare 15 minutes and need a quick, no-prep activity. Having some of these math games in the back of your mind…
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5 Easy Early Finisher Activities Your Students Will Actually Like
Early Finisher Activities for Math One thing I always struggled with as a teacher was keeping my fast finishers busy. This was by far the biggest issue with my classroom management – those who finished quickly would start talking and distracting others who were still working. This is because they either didn’t know what to do, or didn’t want to do it. I didn’t have engaging early finisher activities for them! My go to is always “read a book.” But not all students like reading or have a book on hand they’re interested in. Over time I’ve learned about the power of choice to help keep students engaged. If students…
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This is Why You Need to Be Teaching Math Vocabulary
Math Vocabulary for 2nd Grade (and up!) Do you teach math vocabulary? If not, I have a story to tell you that may convince you otherwise. A few years ago I was speaking to the math specialist at my school. She told me that one time she had been in a first grade classroom where students were working on comparing numbers. The teacher had taught them the alligator trick – you know, the alligator always eats the biggest numbers. So the math specialist was going around the room talking to students, asking them about what they were learning. Almost every single student she talked to referred to the comparison symbol…
