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.

These were all questions our teaching staff had to handle before we opened for summer schools a couple weeks ago. We got together as a group (over Zoom of course), and we brainstormed playground equipment that could be used in safe ways as well as procedures for keeping the equipment clean.

Here are the outside safety rules we came up with:

Students can only play outside with other children in their cohort.

This means we have a staggered recess time. We've divided the playground into sections, and each class gets a section of the playground to be on. This way, students are only exposed to their class, even while playing outside.

Every classroom has their own bin of playground equipment, so that there's never any sharing of equipment between student cohorts.

Students cannot touch the same playground equipment or toys.

This means that recess games are very limited compared to what students are used to being able to playing. Most group games like tag and basketball are off-limits because they would require children to touch each other or share the same ball in order to play.

Here are some examples of equipment we are allowing children to use:

• Scoop Ball Sets: These are great because students can play catch without touching the same ball. They pick the ball up with the scooper. I purchased an extra set to have for my classroom on Amazon.
• Velcro Ball: This has to be done individually so that students don't touch the same ball. Some of them just throw the ball up in the air to catch it, some of them throw it against a ball wall. I bought mine for my classroom on Amazon.
• Tennis Rackets: Played with just like the Velcro Ball set – individually or against a ball wall.
• Soccer: Soccer is allowed, as long as the students remember to social distance (yes, they need lots of reminders!) For older children, we give the goalie gloves to wear so that they can safely touch the ball.
• Other Kicking Games: 2-touch against a ball wall is very popular right now!
• Sand Toys: my school researched and discovered that sand is not a transmitter of Covid-19, so students can use a bucket and shovel set in the sandbox, but they can't share sand toys and the sand toys get sanitized after every use.
• Jumpropes and Hulahoops: These would be for individual playing.

For older kids, we sometimes give them gloves if they would like to play catch or be goalie. But they have to understand that they can't touch their face while they have the gloves on.

Equipment needs to be cleaned after every use, and before another child uses it.

Every time a child finishes playing with a piece of equipment, it needs to be properly cleaned before another child can use it. After equipment is used, it goes on a shelf marked “Needs To Be Sanitized”. Then it gets sanitized and placed on the shelf above, marked “Sanitized and Ready For Use” so it can be put back in the classroom's outdoor equipment bin.

Playground equipment is sanitized after every cohort uses it.

• Swings: the swings are open for use, but a teacher has to Lysol them after every student use.
• Monkey bars: are currently open, and a teacher Lysol sprays them after their class has used them so they are clean for the next class.

So recess looks a lot different than it used to, but the students are getting used to the new rules. And I'm glad my school is taking all the steps they can to try to keep everyone safe.

How do you think your school will handle outdoor recess?
xoxo
Laura

The post Recess Playground Equipment During A Pandemic appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

So it’s no wonder that children also have trouble social distancing. I decided to approach it like I would any new concept with my students. Fist I introduced with concrete examples (showing two yardsticks put together), encouraged them to make connections (what can you think of that’s 6 feet long), and displayed visual aids (reminder posters in the classroom). But of course, one of the most important parts of learning is independent application and practice! 

So to help kids practice social distancing, some of my colleagues and I put together a list of games to play with them outside.

Game #1: “6 Feet, My Friend!” 

Find a kickball diamond or a basketball court and have all the students spread out. They walk around the court, trying to stay six feet away from each other at all times. If someone gets too close, they call out a friendly reminder, such as “Six feet, my friend!” or “Too close, my friend!”. 

At any point the teacher may yell “Freeze!”. If any two people are closer than 6 feet (you can even bring the yardsticks outside to measure if you want to), then they are out of the game for one round. Increase from walking to running if the game is too easy. 

Game #2: “The Wind Blows”

Stand in a large circle (six feet apart from each person) outside. The teacher calls out “The wind blows for anyone who _____” and they complete the sentence with some kind of description, such as “anyone who is wearing blue” or “anyone who has a younger sibling” or “anyone who like strawberry ice cream”.

All the students to whom the phrase applies run into the middle and try to find a new place in the circle. The challenge is for them to also stay six feet away from each other. If students are having a hard time keeping apart, add in yelling “Freeze” at random times to check their distance and call out students who are too close.

Game #3: “Egg, Chicken, Dinosaur, Alligator, Dragon” aka “Evolution”

Once your students have some practice with the first two games, you can try this next game to put their skills to the test. In this game, students all start out as an “Egg” (hands in a circle above their heads). They walk around until they can make eye contact with another egg. They say that egg’s name to make sure they see each other, and then they do roshambo with them. They must stay six feet apart. Whoever wins goes up to the next level of chicken (arms folded like chicken wings). Then they have to find another chicken to roshambo with. 

The game goes on – they roshambo with someone at their same level, the winner goes on to the next level, and the loser has to go backwards a level. After chicken is alligator (arms open and close like alligator jaws), after alligator is dinosaur (two fingers like claws in front of their body), and after dinosaur is dragon. When someone reaches dragon, they are the winner, and the game is over and everyone starts over as an egg.

At any point the teacher may yell “Freeze!”. If any two people are closer than 6 feet (you can even bring the rulers outside if you want to), then they have to go all the way back to being an egg.

Game #4: “Noodle Freeze Tag” 

This requires every child to have their own pool noodle, labeled with their name (Amazon has an inexpensive value pack here). One end of their noodle is for them to hold, and the other end is to tag. The tricky rule is that to tag someone, they have to tag that person's pool noodle, not their body. T

wo people are it. They run around and tag with their pool noodles. If a child's noodle gets tagged, they are frozen. Other children can unfreeze them by tagging their pool noodle.

This game is better with older kids, because it takes reminders to have them hold the noodles out in order to maintain six feet. But it's definitely a fun way to incorporate an actual game of tag!

Game #5: “Spaced Out!” – to practice social distanced lines

Designate where the line will be, and where the running area will be. Students start by running around, then a teacher calls out “Space out!” When they say that, the students have to run to the line area and create a line with six feet between them as fast as they can. Then the teacher checks and if anyone is closer than 6 feet. Keep playing until they can all do it correctly. You can give them a specific line order, or just have it be a random order.

How are you preparing for the changes we'll be dealing with at 
school in the fall?
xoxo
Laura

The post Games To Help Students Practice Social Distancing appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

But with social distance orders still very strict here in the Bay Area, the possibility of getting together is definitely out of the question. So that leaves us teachers with the task of doing some creative thinking to make sure our kiddos still feel honored and excited at the end of this school year. Here are some creative ideas that my co-teacher and I have been working on for our 2020 first grade final celebration:

Zoom Party

We decided to have a Zoom party for our last day of first grade. We'll invite students and their families to join us for an hour online to celebrate the end of the year. We'll start off with of our favorite class songs that we've learned throughout the year. Then we'll play some fun Zoom games, such as swingman, howdy neighbor, or MadLibs. Then we'll use breakout rooms to put families together in small groups to share their final fiction stories that they published!

Slideshow

I'm starting to compile a slideshow using pictures of different places in our school and our classroom. I also have a lot of pictures of the students learning playing together in our classroom from earlier in the year, so I'll put those in too. Finally, I am going to reach out to families and see if they have any pictures of their children with classmates. Then I'll put them all together into a slideshow with some of our school songs in the background. We'll play it at the end of our Zoom celebration on the last day of school to celebrate our year together.

Dress-Up Themes

Every morning in our Zoom circle time meetings during the last week of school, we have a dress-up theme! We are thinking of including pajamas and stuffies day (although some of them are always in their pajamas!), crazy hair day, fancy day, and costumes day. It will be optional, but I think a lot of kids will get really excited about the idea of dressing up!

Drive-By Pick Up

We have a lot of art materials, projects that never made it home, and some fun goodies we want to give to our students. To give families the opportunity for an in-person wave and chat with the teachers, we are organizing a drive-by pick up for our students. We'll have a two-hour window for families to come by and get their goodie bags. Their bags have their projects from art class, materials for a few more art projects to do at home, gift books, and their class T-shirts. We're so excited for the opportunity to see our students, hand off their bags, and say hello (from a safe six feet away of course)!

Class T-Shirts

One item going into their drive-by goodie bags is a class T-shirt. We designed a shirt that says “First Grade Room 9, 2019-2020” on the front. On the back it says “Growing together, even when we're apart” and then it lists all of the students' first names. We always paint class T-shirts at the end of each year, and we usually have the kids all sign each other's shirts. So we decided to continue the tradition, but this time we printed all the names for the kids. But we still left a big blank area for painting the shirt, and we included 4 colors of fabric paint in their bags.

Group Photo Message

We decided to hop on the group photo message trend! First I created a message that is 22 words long (the number of students we have in our class). Then I assigned each student a word. Their instructions were to write the word in big bubble letters and decorate it, then photograph themselves holding it up. Then I took all of their photos and put them together in the right order and make it into a single image. They won't know what the whole message is going to be we show them the final picture during our Zoom party on the last day of school!

We're really excited to make this end of the year special for our students, and to celebrate the amazing ways they've risen to the challenge of these extraordinary circumstances!

What are your plans for celebrating the end of the school year?
xoxo
Laura

The post End Of Year Celebrations… Distance Learning Style! appeared first on Love Grows Learning.