Fast forward a year… and I am a huge Boom Learning fan! There are so many uses for boom cards in education, but I think boom cards for math can be most helpful for educators. There are so many possibilities for skill reinforcement and repetition, but in a fun and engaging format! 

If you are wondering how to use boom cards and why they are so helpful, then read on… I’m about to get into the nitty-gritty of why boom cards can be such important math tools. Make sure to read to the bottom for my list of what to look for when buying Boom Decks!

(Looking for Boom Cards to help with Fact Fluency? This Math Facts to 10 Bundle breaks down math facts into groups so that your students can master them sooner!)

What Are Boom Cards and How Do They Work?

The first thing you’ll need to know is how to get started and how to use Boom Cards. Boom Cards are accessed through the Boom Learning website. Here, you can set up a free teacher account where you can see and assign decks to your students. A free account allows you to assign decks to as many students as you like by giving them a special “pin” to access. 

Boom Cards also has a premium version, which allows you to have multiple classrooms and keep track of student data. You can try a free version of the premium version here to try it out.

How To Use Boom Cards

Once you’ve got an account (free or paid), you can start looking for Boom Decks that you’d like to use with your students! These are a set of task cards practicing a certain skill. Students answer using the interactive features of Boom Cards. Sometimes they have to drag and drop, sometimes they have to click on the correct answer, or sometimes they have to type something in.

You can assign different decks to different students. Some decks are free, and others need to be purchased. All of the decks you have downloaded will show up in your library for you to get the special “pin” to send so that students can access them.

Students can use a computer or tablet to access the decks you have assigned them. There is also a Boom cards app that they can be downloaded for them to have easy access to their decks.

All Types of Learners       

One of the very best advantages of using Boom Cards in education is that they can reach students with a variety of different needs. Their interactive nature helps students stay engaged, and also helps them learn using multiple modes. This is perfect for math — it can be so hard to address all students and their needs with a single curriculum.

For example, many Boom Cards have audio on every slide that reads the directions aloud. Some cards might have drag and drop features that are great for highly visual learners. And finally, the keyboard interaction helps kinesthetic learners have hands-on opportunities. 

In fact, I’ve found that using Boom Cards for math is often a favorite practice activity in my classroom. My students love using the iPads to do their Boom decks – even the students who struggle with math!

Repetition and Self-Checking

Boom Cards naturally provide the repetition that students need to master many math skills, especially fact fluency. As students work through Boom Decks (which can include dozens of task cards), they are gaining repetition and practice. 

High quality Boom Decks will provide practice with the same skill using several different modes of understanding. This keeps engagement high during repetition and gives the student a well-rounded knowledge of the concepts.

Furthermore, the self-checking aspect allows students to know right away if they got an answer right or wrong. If they got it wrong, they can redo the same question until they get it right. Or they can press “skip” and come back to it later. This immediate feedback helps students in their learning process, and they can immediately try to fix errors as they go.

Choosing the Right Decks

When looking for the Boom Cards for math, here are some things to look for to help ensure your students will be highly engaged:

• Focus on a specific skill: Boom Decks that have a little bit of everything aren’t as effective as decks that help your students focus on mastering one skill at a time. Look for a set of decks that breaks things down into bite-sized pieces so that your students are getting the reinforcement they need.

• Offers multiple modes of learning: I love finding decks that provide several types of practice for one skill. These can help students who may need multiple modes of learning to understand new things.

• Bright, colorful graphics: Some teachers might not put this high on their priority list, but I think that having Boom Decks that draw kids in with pleasing colors and graphics is hugely helpful, especially for our more reluctant learners!

Data for the Teachers

Finally, I want to talk about how to use the provided data. If you opt for the premium account, you get access to all your student data. This can be useful in providing you with different insights into how your student are doing.

For example, you can see if they show improvement with the same deck over time. You can also see which cards they are having trouble with, to help you find specific skills they need more practice with. The data will also show overall how your class is performing, which can help you adjust your lesson planning throughout the school year.

Boom Cards in Education

While Boom Cards definitely had their moment in the spotlight during the pandemic, I believe they still deserve a place in everyday learning. I have found again and again that they can be a highly engaging and very effective way for students to get extra practice with new math concepts and skills.

How will you use Boom Cards in your classroom? Let me know in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

10 Ways To Have Fun With Math Facts – Yes, It’s Really Possible!

Math Activities 1st Grade Students Absolutely Love

5 Color by Number Worksheet Tips To Actually Help Students With Math

The post What Are Boom Cards And How They Make Math Fun appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

This article is all about math activities 1^st grade teachers should always be using!

Hands-On Math Activities

Using manipulatives is a sure way to help your math activities increase engagement and effectiveness. Concrete representations are the best place to start when you’re teaching new material. Here are some of my favorite tools to use if you’re looking to incorporate some hands-on math activities for 1^st grade:

Counters

• There are so many fun kinds of counters you can use! Double-sided math counters, mini erasers, and small animal counters are all fun choices.
• You can use counters to practice number pairs or use them with ten frame or number bond templates.
• Counters can also be offered as manipulative to make give any worksheet or workbook a hands-on option for the students who need it.

Pop-Its

• Pop-its provide a fun hands-on option for math activities. These are great for students who need extra kinesthetic feedback.
• You can use them to practice counting on (students pop a circle down for each number they count on).
• Get a 10×10 pop it to practice counting to 100, counting by tens, or to notice patterns within a hundreds chart.
• You can even make your own ten-frame pop it by trimming them to two rows of 5!
• There are even Pop-It game boards. You can create a math game activity by having students roll the dice and pop down the number they get and add on to try to make it to a certain total.

Ten-Frames

• You can get physical ten frames for your class or students – magnetic ones, plastic ones, or have them as a whiteboard template.
• Use your ten frames for number sense by practicing visual recognition of groups of 5.
• You can also use them for practicing number pairs adding on from 5 (5+1, 5+2, etc).
• And of course you can practice pairs that make 10!

Unifix Cubes:

• Use these cubes to practice counting on – start with any number and then move a cube over for every number as you count up.
• Use two different colors to practice finding different number pairs for a certain sum.
• You can also use cubes inside of ten frames or number bond templates to practice adding on or finding number pairs.

Math Activities With Art

I am a firm believer that the arts can help students learn every subject more richly and deeply. Even math! I use crafts, songs, and movement all the time to help students master new math concepts. The arts provide a huge number of ideas for math enrichment activities.

Math Crafts 

Turn new strategies into a craft by having students use art materials to represent numbers. Crafts are a great example of math activities 1^st grade students will be engaged and excited about

• I love using pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, pom poms, or sequins to represent tens and ones.
• Crafts are especially perfect for units on measurement, time, money, or geometry. These units naturally lend themselves to cut and paste projects that help students apply and review math concepts.
• You can even turn simple practice into a craft by adding in some fun art mediums. Have students use chalk on black paper or glitter pens and it instantly uplifts what would other feel like repetitive work!
• Color by numbers are one of my go-to math activities for 1^st grade, because they incorporate some coloring and art into math. I suggest finding color by numbers that target the specific skill or strategy you’re working on (pairs that make 10, counting on by 2, adding to 10, etc.)

Math Songs

I love turning math concepts into songs. These little ditties not only help students remember things better, but they make everything much more fun. Here are some examples to get you going. They don’t have to be anything fancy!

• A song for Tens and Ones:

“All teen numbers are ten and some ones,

Ten and some ones,

Ten and some ones,

All teen numbers are ten and some ones!

Ten and one are what? 11!

Ten and two are what? 12! Etc.”

• A song for learning trapezoids:

“It looks like a diamond yes that’s true,

But that’s not its name I promise.

4 sides all the same length, what’s it called?

It’s a rhom, it’s a rhom, it’s a rhombus!

Rhom, rhom, rhombus, we call it a rhombus!

Rhom, rhom, rhombus, we call it a rhombus!”

• A song for inequalities:

“The alligator looks for something to eat,

He’s looking for a nice big tasty treat!

One number is bigger, the other is smaller,

Which one is the alligator going to swallow?”

Math Movement Activities

Incorporating dance and movement into any math activities for kids can be so helpful. Our brains work better when we move, so let’s get our students up and out of their seats! These types of exercises are math activities kindergarten, first grade, and even second grade students will enjoy.

• 4 Corners: post math problems in each corner. Then pass out cards that have answer on them to each student. Students then have to find the corner with the problem that matches their card’s answer. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and repeat!
• Let’s Split Them Up: A game to practice number pairs. First, choose a number for your sum. For example, you could decide to practice ways to make 8. Then choose 8 students to stand in the middle. Select one student to split them into two groups by gently moving them to different sides. Then have the student share with the class the number pair they made (for example, “5 + 3 = 8”). Repeat with different students, having each of them split the students in the middle using a different number pair.
• Dance in the Shapes: First, tape lots of outlines of the different shapes you are studying on the ground. Then have students volunteer. Choose a few students to go dance in a specific shape. Play music as the students find the correct shape to stand and dance in. When the music pauses, they have to back to their seats, and it’s time to choose a new group of students.

Math Games Activities

Games are one of the go-to math activities in kindergarten and all the way up to high school. There are so many choices for how to use games as math enrichment activities. Here are some of my top suggestions:

Independent Math Games

These are great because you can have every student work at their own personal level. Two of my favorite options are the mazes from Miss Giraffe on TPT and the independent math game packs from Sweet Firstie Fun on TPT.

Math Card Games

There are so many wonderful card games that can be used as math activities for 1^st grade. Some include:

• Go Fish 10: Instead of trying to get a matching pair, students try to get pairs that add up to 10. This game could be played for any sum, just remove the higher numbered cards.
• Adding War: Each student flips two cards and adds them together. The student with the higher sum gets to take the pile for that turn. Whoever has all the cards at the end wins.
• Slap 10: Students each flip a card. If the two cards add up to 10, they should try to slap the pile. Whoever slaps the pile first gest to take it! If a student slaps but the cards don’t equal 10, the other student gets to keep the pile! Whoever has all the cards at the end wins.

Group Math Games

These can be fun math activities to get the whole class moving and playing together.

• Bingo: Fill a bingo board with math problems. Draw cards that have the answers. Students need to find and cover a square with a problem that matches the answer you drew. Whoever gets 5 in a row gets a bingo!
• Pop: A game for counting practice. First, decide what counting you want to practice (by ones, by twos, counting backwards, counting by fives, by tens, etc.) Then choose one number to be the “pop” number. For example, if we were counting backwards from 20, we might choose 14 to be the “pop” number. Go around in a circle with each students saying the next number in the counting pattern. When it’s a student’s turn to say “14”, they say “pop!” instead, and they stand up. They are now out of the counting circle. Continue with the game (when you get to 0 you would start back at 20), continuing to have students “pop” on the number 14. Whoever is the last student in the circle wins!

Math Activities Online

While I believe that hands-on, off-screen learning should be the first choice for every classroom, I can’t deny that math activities online can be highly appealing and motivating for some students. I started using Boom Cards with my remedial tutoring, and I couldn’t believe what a helpful motivator it became to help with mastering math facts! I personally found Boom Cards to be the most engaging online math activities online option. Most games I found online were pretty basic and just about repetition and memorization.

I got hooked on using Boom Cards, and I ended up creating my own line of Boom Cards! These decks teach, reinforce, and help students master their math facts up to 10. You can check all of my decks out right here, and you can even try out my “Ways to Make 10” deck for free!

Boom Cards can be used as a special treat for students, or as part of a remedial math program for students who are behind.

Well friends, I hope you now have lots of ides for fun math activities for 1^st grade!

Which one of these are you most excited to try out with your students? 
Xoxo Laura

More reading for you:

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

Getting the Most Out of Virtual Small Groups

15 Simple and Powerful Small Group Strategies For Addition and Subtraction

30 Active Math Games and Activities for Kids Who Love To Move

The post Math Activities 1st Grade Students Absolutely Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.