Math

General Activities

· Flashcards

· File Folder Games

· Literature and Math games (using addition, subtraction, etc.)

· Fill in a calendar and do activities with it

Number and Operations

· Play “War” with number cards

· Use cuisinere blocks

· Use unifix cubes

· Estimation Station: Have a jar of something and student estimate how much is in the jar.

Algebra

· Add 2 sides of dominoes and write a number sentence

· Play “Adding War”: Child A has a 2 and a 3 (2+3=total of 5); Child B has a 4 and a 6 (4+6=total of 10). Child B wins.

· Play “Subtraction War”: Child A has a 3 and a 2 (3-2=total of 1); Child B has a 6 and a 4 (6-4=total of 2). Child B wins.

· Play “Multiplication War”: Child A has a 2 and a 3 (2x3=total of 6); Child B has a 4 and a 6 (4x6=total of 24). Child B wins.

· Number words with flash cards. Example: students gets the card “4+3=7,” the student then writes “four plus three equals seven.”

· Play “Add the Dice” (same as “Adding War”)

· Play “Add the Dominoes” (same as “Adding War”)

· Play “Addition Bingo”: Using flashcards, call out problem. Student have to solve problem and then find the answer on their bingo sheet.

· Play “Tic-Tac-Toe”: (same as “Addition Bingo”)

· Addition and Subtraction dot-to-dot pictures

· Play “Addition Concentration”: Example flip a “3” over and a “2+1” over

· Play “Subtraction Concentration”: Example flip a “3” over and a “2+1” over

· Play games (students have to answer a problem correctly to take a turn)

Geometry

· Make geometric houses out of paper. Students are given a certain number of each shape.

· Tangram Puzzles

· Geoboards

· Hunt for shapes throughout the room

· Pass around a shape and have students look at it and feel it with eyes open and closed

· Have students hunt for shapes in a magazine and paste them on a page

· Have the students make objects using a variety of shapes

· Have ten cutouts of all different shapes and envelopes with that shape in them, kids place shapes into their corresponding envelopes

· Trace shapes, then color them in

· Place one of each shape on a magnetic board or flannel board. Have the students look through a basket of shapes and place a shape next to its corresponding match

· Select several sheets of paper and draw one large shape (can also use numerals). Set out 20 inch long shoelaces or string. Invite the students to create the shapes or numerals by placing the laces on top of the shape or numeral on the construction paper sheets.

· Use pieces of masking tape to make large outlines on the floor of a circle, square, triangle, etc. Let the students take turns walking, crawling or hopping around the edges of the shapes. Or ask the child to first identify the shape before walking around it.

Measurement

· Measure things around the classroom

· Measure arms, legs, etc.

· Measure using containers: (measure ¼, 1/3, and ½ cups).

· Measure using unifix cubes

Data Analysis and Probability

· Graph of the Day: Examples- favorite subject, sport, number of pets, letters in your name.

· Estimate amount of cereal in a cup. Count the cereal. Is the number odd or even? Count the pieces by two. Eat and enjoy!

· Glyphs

Patterns

· Create patters using unifix cubes

· Create patterns using tiles

· Look for patterns on leaves

· Working with simple patterns in their bead and block construction

· Constructing a pattern with two colors of napkins at snack time

· Clapping the rhythms of their name

· Coloring every second or fifth or tenth day on a calendar of days in school

· Exploring patterns in wallpaper

· Create patterns using sponge printing, collage materials, geometric shapes or wrapping or wall paper

· Find patterns on the United States flag

Color Activities

· Glue a colored button to the bottom of a 6 cup muffin tin, using 6 different colors in each tin. (Have the same number and same color of buttons off to the side.) Encourage the students to match the colored buttons to the ones in the tins.

· Try guessing how many of the same colored buttons, beads, etc., there are in a glass jar, then count to see who came the closest.

· Cut red, yellow and blue cellophane into desired shapes. Have the students glue the shapes on sheets of waxed paper, overlapping the edges of the cellophane as they glue. Attach construction paper frames to the collages, if desired. Then hand them in the window to let the light shine through all the colors.

· For each child put a small amount of red liquid tempera paint and a small amount of yellow into a Ziploc storage bag. Seal the bags closed. Then let the students squeeze their bags to mix the colors and create orange. Follow the same procedure using blue and yellow paint to make green; red and blue paint to make purple, etc.

· Cut a 12-inch circle out of white tagboard and divide it into eight sections. Use crayons of markers to color each section a different color and draw matching colored dots on eight spring-type clothespins. Then let the students match the colors by clipping the clothespins around the edge of the wheel on the appropriate sections.

· Cut two squares each out of six different colors of construction paper and glue the squares on twelve index cards. Mix up the cards and spread them out face down on a table. Let one child begin by turning up two cards. If the colors match, let the child keep the cards. If they don't, have the child replace both cards face down exactly where they were before. Continue until all the cards have been matched. Then let the child who ended up with the most cards have the first turn when you start the game again.

· Use red, yellow and blue yarn to form three circles on a carpet (or cut circles out of construction paper). Set out red, yellow and blue wooden beads. Then let the students sort the beads by placing them inside the matching colored circles.

· Cut six squares out of different colors of construction paper and insert them in the sides of a plastic photo cube. Do the same to a second cube, using the same colors. Then let the students move the cubes around to find the matching pairs of colors. For variation, use one cube as a color die. Let the students take turns rolling the die and then naming the color that comes up.

· On a piece of paper for each child, attach several different colored self-stick dots in a row to start a pattern (red, blue, red, blue; orange, yellow, green, orange, yellow green, etc.) Then give the students more dots and let them continue the pattern across their papers. When they have finished, start a new pattern on each paper, if desired.

· Turn a shoebox upside down and cut two parallel rows of slits in the top. Draw different colored dots on the ends of one set of tongue depressors and matching colored dots on the ends of another set. Insert one set of sticks in one of the rows of slits. Then let the students insert matching colored sticks from the second set in the appropriate slits in the other row.

· Make colored eyeglasses by cutting frames out of desired color of tagboard and glue matching colored cellophane squares over the eyeholes. (Use red, yellow and blue and combine the colors to make green, orange an purple.) Then attach pipe cleaners to the sides of the frames and bend them to fit over the students's ears.

· Place a small mirror in a glass of water and tilt it against the side of the glass. Stand the glass in direct sunlight so that the mirror reflects a rainbow on the wall. Name the colors with the students (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple). Explain that sunlight contains all these colors mixed together, but when it hits the water (or raindrops in the sky), all the colors are separated.

· Cut large squares out of selected colors of construction paper and spread them out on the floor. Then ask the students to perform different actions by giving directions such as: "Jason, can you put your foot on a red square? Brian, can you jump over a purple square?" Finally, ask everyone to find a square to stand on and let each child name the color of his or her square.

· Cut small matching squares out of different colors of construction paper. Place the squares in a paper bag and have each child draw out a square. Play music and let the students move around the room to find their "color partners" by matching up their colored squares. Then have them hold hands with their partners and circle around the room. After everyone has joined the circle, stop the music, collect the squares and start the game again.

Time

· Matching Times Concentration: Example- 9:15, and using a clock show the same time.

· Time Game: Students start at the same time (example- 6:00). They pick up cards with different things (example- eat breakfast=15 minutes) and move their clock 15 minutes ahead. First person to a certain time wins.

· “Telling Time Bingo”: Call out a time, student find on card and mark it off.

Money

· Sort, identify and graph coins

· Roll a die to determine how many coins to combine and count the value of (1^st roll for pennies, 2^nd for nickels, 3^rd for dimes, and 4^th for quarters). Students add up the amount. Example- rolling 1, 2, 3, 4= $.01 + (2) nickels = $.10 + (3) dimes =$.30 = (4) quarters = $1.00 -> $1.41

· Come up with __ ways to get __. Example- Come up with 8 ways to get $.25.

· Race to $1: Students roll a die and pick up that much money. Example- roll a 5, pick up 5 cents. Trade pennies up for nickels, nickels for dimes, nickels and dimes for quarters, quarters for fifty-cent pieces, and finally to 1 dollar.

· Using store flyers, have students “spend” money and see what they can buy. An easier version is to ask how much it would cost to buy items A, B, and C.

Problem Solving

· Have a problem for student to solve. Students illustrate and write about how they got to their solution.

Logical thinking Activities

· classify blocks by size

· Sort crayons, markers, and pencils into containers

· Compare sets using more and less

· Sorting buttons, keys, coins, pasta, cereal, fabric or paper scraps, marbles, balls, stamps, postcards, jar lids, leaves, shells, playing cards, etc. and explaining why

· Sorting zoo and farm animals for storage

· Going on a shape or color hunt.

· Give students a small card with a number on it. Put a large number card on the floor and ask students with the matching card number to hop, jump, etc., then place their small number card on top of the big one. Continue until everyone matches their numbers.

Students practice their math skills at the “Math Center.” They work on number concepts, geometry, measurement, data analysis, patters, time, money, and problem solving using hands on activities.