Math Games

Shake Your Shamrocks

I have quite a few shamrock themed activities for reading and writing,  so I wanted to make sure that you had some for math as well.

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I’ve also made a game board for counting by 1’s for younger students.  These games would be perfect any time, but a great addition to your St. Patrick’s Day activities.

The object of the game is to help the leprechaun get to his pot of gold by rolling a pair of dice and taking the face value of the number needed or adding and subtracting to get there.

For example, in order to move one space ahead, if you are skip counting by 3’s, you need to roll a 3,  or a  2 and a 1 (add) or a 4 and a 1 (subtract) etc.

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If you are counting by 1’s, you play with only 1 dice. This game has a different set of rules, where students lose a turn, switch places with their partner and move backwards one space, depending on the roll of the die.

Click on the link to view/download Shake Your Shamrocks skip counting game.

shamrock activities, shamrock activirties for preschool kindergarten and first grade, shamrock games, shamrock math games, shamrock centers, activities for st. patrick's day, activities for st. patrick's day for preschool kindergarten and first grade, st. patrick's day games, skip counting games, skip counting activities, activities for skip counting by 2.'s 3's, and 5's, counting games,coin games, coin centers, coin activities,shamrock certificates, Another game I think that your students will enjoy playing is  Spin To Win-Dollar Holler where strategy counts or does it?

Children choose 1 of 3 columns, that they try and fill,  in their quest to reach the amount of $1.00.

shamrock activities, shamrock activirties for preschool kindergarten and first grade, shamrock games, shamrock math games, shamrock centers, activities for st. patrick's day, activities for st. patrick's day for preschool kindergarten and first grade, st. patrick's day games, skip counting games, skip counting activities, activities for skip counting by 2.'s 3's, and 5's, counting games,coin games, coin centers, coin activities,shamrock certificates, Includes a graphing extension. All games include a certificate of praise for participants as well as winners.

Click on the link to view/downoad Dollar Holler a fun game for St. Patrick's Day!

shamrock activities, shamrock activirties for preschool kindergarten and first grade, shamrock games, shamrock math games, shamrock centers, activities for st. patrick's day, activities for st. patrick's day for preschool kindergarten and first grade, st. patrick's day games, skip counting games, skip counting activities, activities for skip counting by 2.'s 3's, and 5's, counting games,coin games, coin centers, coin activities,shamrock certificates, Coin Shamrocks makes a nice math center activity for March/St. Patrick’s Day.  The object here is to identify the coins and figure out the total value that is displayed on each shamrock.

I’ve included an identification shamrock sample for each coin that will help students who still struggle with this concept.

Students can play independently or with a partner to see who can fill in their shamrock cards first. Students can use coin manipulatives as well as the little matching value cards to cover the shamrocks.

Includes a blank shamrock template to program your own coin cards + a certificate of praise.  Click on the link to view/download Shamrock Coins

A wonderful little easy-reader booklet that involves both counting and coins is How Much Is This Shamrock?

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Students help the leprechaun purchase a variety of rainbow-colored shamrocks as they cut and glue the appropriate coins to the matching pages.   Click on the link to view/download the shamrock coin booklet.

Finally, there are a variety of other shamrock counting booklets available as well.  Simply click on the link to zoom to the Shamrock section and scroll down to download whatever fits your needs.

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"A child educated only at school, is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

Obseussed With Numbers! Fun Activities For Dr. Seuss or Cat in the Hat Day.

I think students find it more fun to review report card standards if you give them a new twist by adding them to a theme day.

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Print them off on two different colors so the game is easier to play.  I’ve also made cards for skip counting by 2’s, 3’s, 5’s, and 10’s and counting by 1’s for little ones.

Click on the link to view/download the Dr. Seuss number and letter cards. Play the Cat in the Hat spinner game and continue to review skip counting.

Decide which group of numbers you want students to work on.  Run off the Cat in the Hat sheets and pass out some red markers. Dr. seuss activities, activities for dr. seuss day, activities for dr. seuss day for kindergarten and first grade, dr. seuss alphabet cards, dr. seuss number cards, dr. seuss games, dr. seuss lessons, dr. seuss math games, telling time games, math games, math centers, cat in the hat day ideas, activities for cat in the hat day, cat in the hat day activities for kindergarten, cat in the hat day activities for first grade, cat in the hat day math activities, traceable alphabet cards, traceable number cards, activities for cat in the hat day,  Students play in groups of 2 to 4, taking turns spinning the paperclip.

Whatever number they land on they trace and then write the number on their hat.  Dr. seuss activities, activities for dr. seuss day, activities for dr. seuss day for kindergarten and first grade, dr. seuss alphabet cards, dr. seuss number cards, dr. seuss games, dr. seuss lessons, dr. seuss math games, telling time games, math games, math centers, cat in the hat day ideas, activities for cat in the hat day, cat in the hat day activities for kindergarten, cat in the hat day activities for first grade, cat in the hat day math activities, traceable alphabet cards, traceable number cards, activities for cat in the hat day,  They do not have to do it in any particular order.

If they spin a number they’ve already traced, they lose their turn.  The person who fills in their entire hat, or the one with the most stripes colored in by the time the timer rings, is the winner.

Seuss Time is played the same way, only with digital time to the hour.  I have also included digital time cards so students can make Itty Bitty time booklets as well.

Click on the link to view/download Dr. Seuss Time & Counting Games

I hope these ideas add some fun to your Dr. Seuss or Cat in the Hat Day celebrations.  Scroll down for lots more Dr. Seuss ideas and activities, booklets, bookmarks, centers, art activities and more!

If you have one you’d like to share, I’d enjoy hearing from you, or feel free to comment on one of mine.  diane@teachwithme.com

Learning Math With A Snowman Friend

snowman activities, snowman ideas, snowman art projects, snowman art, snowman crafts, snowman centers, math centers, math activities, addition and subtraction activities, additon and subtraction centers, addition and subtraction manipulatives, addition and subtraction snowmen, math snowmenSam the Solution Snowman is a fun way for your students/child to enjoy learning to count, sequence, match numbers with number words, as well as do simple addition and subtraction.

Run off the templates on construction paper.

Students cut out their snowman and hat.

Students color their snowman’s face and glue on their hat.

To expedite things, you might want to have the arm pieces pre-cut and hole-punched.

Hole punch 6 holes in the middle of the snowman and 6 holes in the bottom of the snowman.

You’ll have to fold one side to get the hole punch to the middle.

Fasten the arms to each other using brass brads and then attach them to the snowman with 2 more brads.

Position the arms so they look like they are holding a snowflake.

Cut a 1 x 12 inch strip of black and white construction paper.

Lay the white strip on top of the black strip and paperclip them together in the middle.

Pull the white strip down a bit so that you can tape the black strip to the back of the snowman’s head.

Students roll two dice; count the dots to see how many buttons they will reveal on the snowman by pulling the white strip down so that the buttons appear black.

snowman activities, snowman ideas, snowman centers, snowman math, snowmen, snowman art, snowman art projects, snowman craft activities, math centers, math activities, addition and subtraction activities, They then find that numbered snowflake and position it in the snowman’s hands.

Students flip the red hat sash to reveal the number word that matches the number on the snowflake.

If you want to make this an addition or subtraction activity, have students roll the dice.

The largest number will reveal the top buttons; the smaller number on the dice will reveal the bottom buttons on the snowman.

In order to do addition/subtraction, you will need a black rectangle “side cover”.

You reveal the bottom buttons by this extra black side strip.

Fold it in half horizontally to reveal buttonholes 1-4.  Keep it open to reveal number > 4.

Have students write their equations on a sheet of scratch paper.

You can eliminate the number-word sash for younger children as well as the side-cover for addition/subtraction, keeping the snowman simple.

If you want to make a class set to use every year, laminate your snowman parts and then assemble them.

If you’re only doing a few for a center or making one with your child, you may want to use Velcro on the snowflakes and put the opposite Velcro piece on the snowman’s tummy.

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I've also included 6 snowflake "What Comes Next?" skill sheets with this activity and a blank one for you to fill in for numbers/letters that you want to work on, + a certificate of praise.

Your students are sure to have "snow" much fun learning with Sam the Solution Snowman.

Click on the link to view/print Sam.

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"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right!" -Ophra Winfrey

Let's Play A Math Game!

Dominoes are an inexpensive and fun math manipulative to help your students practice simple addition and subtraction facts.  Dominic the Domino Snowman makes it even more interesting.  He needs buttons for his belly! 

Here's how to help him:

  • dominoes, math game, snowman activities, math centers, centers, games with dominoes, math games with dominoes,snowman ideas, math facts, addition and subtraction activities, addition and subtraction games, If you want all of your students to play as a whole group, run off a class set of snowmen. Have students play in groups of 2-4 so they can share dominoes.  They sell them at The Dollar Store.
  •  If you don’t have dominoes, use my template and print off a class set, or some for your students so they can have a Dominic and dominoes to practice at home.
  •  You can color the snowmen, or have students color them and then laminate the playing boards so you can use them every year.
  •  Children will use dry erase markers to record their answers and then wipe them off with a wet wipe.
  • Write the directions: Roll, Find, Place, Write, Solve on the board.
  • Demonstrate how to play the game.
  • Students obtain the dominoes by rolling 2 dice twice and finding the appropriate dominoes.
  • i.e, If they roll a 1 and a 5, they find the domino with one dot and five dots and place that to the side.
  •  The student then rolls the second time and rolls a 2 and a 3.
  • They find that domino.
  • dominoes, math games, math games with dominoes, snowman activities, snowman ideas, snowmen, games, math centers, center ideas,Since the first domino has larger numbers, they put that domino on top so that they can subtract. They put the smaller numbered domino on the bottom.
  • Students add the “buttons” of the domino to get the first number to add and and then later subtract and then add the “buttons” of the second domino to get the second number to add and later subtract. 
  •  Students write these equations vertically on their snowman and solve the problem.
  • On a sheet of  paper, students write the equations horizontally and solve the problem.
  • Set a timer to ring after about 10 minutes.
  • The student with the most correct answers wins the game.

Do you have a math game that you play with your students? I'd enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com and if you use one of my freebies I'd really enjoy a comment.  Thanks in advance.

Be sure and pop back tomorrow for more creative teaching tips.

"Snow" Much Fun With Snowmen!

snowmen number puzzles, snowman matching puzzles, number sequencing, snowman activitiesWhen I design an activity I try to think of a variety of things students can do with it and this one really has the WOW factor.

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Students can sequence them when they complete the puzzles, and trace everything with dry erase markers and then rub them clean with a damp cloth or wet wipe.

Make a double set on off white paper and have children partner up to play “Speed” against each other.

I’ve provided a blank set if you want to make sets for those tough teen numbers or make a set with upper and lowercase letters too.

I used a small snowflake punch for the buttons.  You could also use a hole punch, snowflake stickers, or those small dot stickers.

I included a spinner so that if you make enough for a class set, you can pass out the pieces for one complete snowman to each child.

Teacher spins the spinner or gives each student a chance to spin the spinner.  Whatever number it lands on the child with that number gets to assemble a piece of their snowman.  The first children with their snowman completed, wins the “Puzzled Snowman” game and receive a sticker!

snowman activities, snowman number cards, snowman word cards, snowman puzzles, matching number words, There are matching number and number word cards as well.  Students practice matching the numbers to the words by playing a Memory Match game.

snowman activities, snowment activities, snowmen puzzles, snowman puzzle, snowman number match, snowman games, Children reinforce fine motor skills by tracing and cutting out the cards and enjoy making an Itty Bitty booklet to take home and share with their families.

They can also sort the cards by odd and even numbers, alphabetize the words and sequence the numbers.  Have them choose a partner and play “Speed” against them to see who can sort, match or sequence the fastest.

Click on the link to view/print the snowman number word cards.

snowman activities, snowmen activities, snowmen certificate, snowmen worksheets, snowman addition, snowman subtraction, snowman puzzles, snowmen puzzles, snowman activities, snowman number cards, snowman word cards, snowman games, Turn these snowmen into a cute keepsake by running off the one that represents how old each student is. "I'm Mia; I'm..." is on the hat brim and their birthday is on the bottom circle.

Included in this 37-page booklet are a variety of worksheets with the 3-circled snowman motif that review number, math and letter skills. Click on the link to take a look. Snowman Number Puzzles.

snowman puzzles, snowman worksheets, snowman certificate, snowman games, snowman numbers, snowman word cards, snowman activities, snowmen activities, Click on the link to view/print a few freebies. Snowman worksheets You can't tell in the photo, but the smile is left off.  If the student gets the answer correct they get to put the smile on.

Don’t you just love getting things for free?  Why not become a subscriber and continue to be able to download the entire shopping cart at no additional cost for an entire year!  Click on the link for details.

Tune in SATURDAY for a quick and easy snowflake idea!

 

Build A Tree!

I like to dream up games that double as art projects and review report card standards so that I’m multi-tasking during busy December days.  The Strip Tree Dice Game fits the bill.

Christmas tree game, Christmas tree art work, December shapes, rectangle shape art project, December bulletin board ideas, December bulletin board, Christmas bulletin boards, Christmas tree bulletin board, dice games, math games, measurement game, Here’s How To Make It:

  • Run off the strips on green construction paper and cut on a paper cutter.
  • One side will make one tree the other another tree.
  • You can laminate the construction paper before you cut the pieces out and make this an in-class game you use every year, or skip the lamination, and simply have it as a game your students can take home.
  • This makes a fun activity for the day before vacation or for your class party day.
  • If you want to do it now, it also makes a lovely December bulletin board! Simply staple them to a black background with the header: "Tree-mendous work!"

  • As a game, students can play with a partner.
  • I like to play with large foam dice.  They don’t make any noise and they stay on the tables.
  • If you don’t want the students to re-use the pieces as a game, and you want to turn it into a lovely art project, have students glue the pieces down as they roll the dice.
  • I use a star punch to expedite cutting out this piece.
  • Make sure you remind students to put the glue on the side with the NUMBER on it.
  • A royal blue construction paper background looks awesome.
  • Give students a dollop of white paint and a Q-tip and they can dab on a flurrie of flakes to add a bit more pizzazz.
  • December bulletin boards, December bulletin board ideas, Christmas bulletin boards, Christmas tree bulletin boards, dice games, math games, measurement games, Christmas party games, So that their tree turns out with the appropriate proportions, students must decide to build it from the top down or the bottom up depending on what number they roll first.  i.e. if they roll a 1 they will start from the top and go down.
  • They glue the star first and then they must roll 2 more 1’s to be able to glue the other two small green pieces down.
  • If they roll a 6 they will start from the bottom and go up.  They would start with the brown trunk and then need to roll another 6 to put the longest green #6 strip down after that.
  • If they roll anything else they must skip their turn until they roll one of those numbers.
  • After they roll all three 1’s then they must roll a 2 then a 3 and so on.
  • When they roll their 2nd 6 and start from the bottom, they must then roll a 5, 4, 3 and so on.
  • Children glue their red heart on last and write their name on it.
  • Demonstrate how to play the game by showing students an example of both top down and bottom up examples so that they understand.
  • Have a completed sample so that they can see the shortest to longest pattern.
  • Point out that there should be a space in between each rectangle.
  • Review the shapes with your students.  How many rectangles are there?  Did they count the big blue one? How many squares?  What other shapes do they see? 
  • Click on the link to view/print the Christmas Tree Dice Game
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