Many students think that math and fun do not belong in the same sentence. But, that’s not true! There are LOTS of way to have fun with math. Here are three of my favorites:
1. Jenga
Everyone loves Jenga, so it is a FANTASTIC way to add some fun to math practice. I bought 4 block stacking games in the Target Dollar Spot. Each game has 39 blocks. I numbered each block from 1 to 39 on both ends of the blocks. Then, I created 39 questions to practice adding and subtracting decimals.
I broke my students into groups of 6. I gave each group a game, 6 answer sheets, and a question sheet. The first player picked a block that he/she would like to move. All group members solved the problems. Each student shared his/her answer. If all students did not get the same the answer they must discuss the different answers and figure out which is correct. Then, the student can move the block and place it on top.
My students LOVED it! Click here to grab my Decimal Addition & Subtraction Block Stacking Game for free!
2. Scoot with a Twist
Do your students love playing Scoot? Mine do! I love using Scoot as a way to review concepts in the classroom. Recently my partner teacher and I organized a large Scoot game that went between our two classrooms. It was AWESOME! There were enough cards for all of our students. The cards were spread out between our two rooms.
Our classes loved the game. They also loved traveling into another classroom to continue playing. In fact, we had a lot of people asking us what was going on as they walked down the hallway. I can’t wait to do it again!
3. Create a Game
Most students love playing games in the classroom. So, creating a game would be even better! I have done this in a few different ways. I have had students that needed enrichment create a game to teach a concept because being able to teach something to someone else is a higher level thinking skill.
I have also done a whole class Create a Board Game assignment. I love this assignment because it allows students to show their creative side. They love sharing the games and we always have a Game Day after the assignments are finished. If you would like to see how I set up this assignment you can check out my Create a Board Game resource by clicking here.
How do you make math fun in the classroom?
