Are you looking for fun, versatile games for the classroom? I know I always am! My favorite thing ever is taking a super simple, low-prep game and turning it into something educational. The BEST games are ones that can be easily adapted to use for any subject. Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite, versatile games for the classroom… Musical chairs! Yes! Musical chairs! Everyone knows how to play it, it’s SO low-prep (just need some chairs, music, and a worksheet). And the best part is you can play this game in ANY subject! I obviously used it in math, but since it’s a game that’s…
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How to Use Math Bingo to Engage and Improve Understanding
Using Math Bingo in the Classroom I don’t know about you, but my students always went crazy over bingo! It’s such a simple game, but what can I say? They loved it. Bingo was a regular go-to to help review educational concepts, or just for fun during holidays are class parties! I especially loved using math bingo to support my students in math. Obviously, bingo is a fun game – but can it really be all that educational? Or is it all just fluff? Personally, I believe that bingo can be an incredibly rigorous activity – as long as it’s used correctly! Let’s explore how we can use bingo in…
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How to Use Cups to Make Fun Math Activities
Fun Math Activities with Cups There are so many great math activities out there for students. Between Amazon, the Target Dollar Spot, and your local teacher store, it isn’t hard to spend a few hundred bucks on math games and activities for your students. Unfortunately, our teacher salary doesn’t exactly give us the flexibility to drop that kind of cash…so, finding budget-friendly solutions for fun math activities is important! Fortunately, there are many activities you can make yourself for a fraction of the cost of a store-bought equivalent! I call these “math DIYs.” Previously, I shared some activities that you can make out of paper plates. Today, I want to…
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5 Simple and Fun Fraction Games Math Students Will Love
Fraction Games for Math Does anyone else just hate teaching fractions? I’m not sure what it is, but it’s just not my thing at all. If you feel the same way, then maybe you’re looking for some fun ways to switch up your instruction. Today, I’m sharing 5 fraction games math students of all ages will love! These 5 games can be used for students of all grade levels! Whether you’re just working to identify and name fractions, compare fractions, or identify equivalent fractions – there’s a game in here for everyone! 1. Fraction Charades Okay, I know the idea of playing charades with fractions might seem a little confusing.…
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How to Engage Your Students Using Math Games with Dominoes
Math Games with Dominoes If you’ve been around for awhile, then you know how much I love easy, low-prep math games. Games are incredibly engaging for our students, but it can be a pain to have to gather materials for them sometimes. That’s why I’m a huge fan of games that use normal, everyday supplies – like dominoes! Today, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite math games with dominoes. These games are all incredibly simple, yet meaningful for students and only require a set of dominoes, plus maybe a sheet of paper or whiteboard to write on. You can use these games as a center or…
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How to Teach Money Using Games and Activities
How to Teach Money Money is one of my absolute favorite units to teach because it is so real life. That was a weird sentence, but you know what I mean? Everyone uses money. Kids are fascinated by money. There are so many real-world experiences we can create for our students when teaching money. Counting coins, making change, adding money – these are all super practical skills that we use every single day and the best part is students KNOW they will use these skills. The buy in is already there! As teachers, we just need to make sure we keep it interesting. Today, I’m sharing how to teach money…
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6 Dice Games for Math That Are Simple and Fun (+FREEBIE)
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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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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How to Incorporate Movement in the Classroom
Kids need to MOVE! We know this is a fact. Plus, scientifically speaking, movement helps improve learning, too. For this reason, it is so important to get our students up and moving during class time! Unfortunately, with so much content to get through, this can be difficult to do. Today I’m sharing 3 of my favorite, super easy ways to add movement in the classroom without interrupting instruction time. Obviously, brain breaks are important – small instructional breaks taken throughout the day so students don’t get burned out. But, often times, brain breaks aren’t enough to keep our kiddos focused on instruction. My tips are not only easy to implement,…