Math centers are a key component of the primary classroom. If you work with kindergarten or 1st-grade students, I'm sure you already know that math centers have the ability to make (or break) how your students view math. As teachers, we want to cultivate a genuine love of learning and the best way to do that is by making learning FUN! Today let's chat about my favorite ways to make math fun with fresh new center ideas!
Why Math Centers Matter
If you teach littles, you probably know they are an enthusiastic bunch. One of my favorite things about working with this age group is their excitement for just about everything.
I believe in using this natural characteristic of their personalities to our advantage with lessons, centers, and games that truly capture their interest.
When it comes to practicing math, I'm all for using hands-on centers as much as possible.
Young students love center time, and this is especially so if you're making sure that your activities are rotated regularly. Keeping your materials fresh and exciting is a surefire way to keep things fun!
I know! It's all too easy to fall into a rut with center time and start using the same types of activities over and over.
If you're feeling like your centers are a little lackluster, I've got 3 fun and easy ideas to help you freshen them up!
1. Use Materials That Are Fun For Students
One of my BEST tips for making math centers more fun and engaging is to choose materials and tools that are appealing and fun for your students. In my room, this usually means selecting seasonal manipulatives and hands-on tools to use during center time. Some of my favorite things include:
- themed/seasonal mini erasers for counting activities
- playdough for forming numbers and fill tens frames
- snacks like cereal or small crackers in place of manipulatives
- base ten blocks
- snap cubes
- hands-on tools like Pop-Its
The idea here is to incorporate as many hands-on tools and manipulatives as possible. Young children thrive when presented with tactile materials.
All of these options are fun, but my students' favorite is the Pop-Its. If you've never used them before, be sure to check out this post detailing what they are and how they can be used in the classroom. Essentially, Pop-Its are a type of sensory fidget toy that works perfectly for math!
Pop-Its are a wonderful way to teach a variety of math skills in a fun, new way and give students a break from the ordinary. In my classroom, we use them for number formation, counting, and addition and subtraction. To facilitate these center activities, I have printable and digital task cards that go along with our Pop-Its. Each activity focuses on practicing a specific skill while using the pop-it toy. These are great for math centers as well as “Write the Room” since each activity also comes with a recording sheet to jot down answers. My students are always super excited to use Pop-Its during math centers!
2. Use Games During Math Centers
Another fun way to level up your math center is by incorporating some fun games! Games are a great way to teach math since students will typically get so excited about playing that they forget they are practicing key math skills and concepts. Many of my favorite math games come from Learning Resources. This company makes high-quality materials that are fun and unique! Some of my favorites include:
- Math Swatters Addition & Subtraction Game
- Sum Swamp Addition & Subtraction Game
- 10 On The Spot Tens Frame Game
- Mini Motors Math Activities Set
- Mini Muffin Match-Up Counting Game
Any of these games is a fun way to add some interest to your math centers! Learning Resources is a great place to start with games since they offer a wide variety of games that target different skills and age groups.
When introducing new games, I like to start by using them in small groups. This presents an opportunity to explain the rules, cover expectations with the materials, and teach students how to play. Once kiddos have the game down, I assign them during math centers for additional practice. Games are always a BIG hit in my classroom and offer a great way to cover many different math skills.
3. Digital Math Activities For The Win!
My last tip for making math centers fun is to incorporate digital activities. My favorite type of digital learning activities are Boom Cards! I love Boom Cards because they are so versatile, self-correcting, easy for students to do independently, and can be used for any skill you're looking to target. If you're brand new to Boom Cards be sure to read this post! It covers everything you need to know about using Boom Cards in the classroom.
When it comes to math centers, Boom Cards are such a great way to mix it up! I love that Boom Cards can target a variety of skills including addition, subtraction, telling time, place value, data & graphing, and more!
Boom Cards make planning and facilitating math centers super simple. There's nothing to print or prep, and it's really easy to differentiate by skill level! Simply assign specific Boom Card Decks among your group according to their needs. Boom Cards also include sound and interactive instructions, so that students can be fully independent. They also track progress so you can see how each of your students is doing with specific skills.
The BEST thing about Boom Cards though is how much my students love them! I love knowing that when we have Boom Cards set up for our math centers, I can count on my students to be fully engaged through the whole block. Boom Cards are fun for kiddos and keep their attention as they practice a variety of math skills. That's a win-win for me! Whether you need math activities for Kindergarten or 1st Grade, Boom Cards are the perfect way to plan engaging practice!
Grab A FREE Set of Boom Cards for Math Centers
Interested in setting up a Boom Cards math center in your room? I've got just the thing to get you started! Enter your email below and you'll be sent a FREE deck of Math Boom Cards to use in your room! I know your students will love this addition to your math centers!
I hope that all of these ideas will help you add some fun and engaging new activities to your math center rotations.
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Pin this post on your favorite classroom math Pinterest board to keep these math center activities handy!
