One of the most popular topics here on Top Notch Teaching is that of teaching math. It’s also an area that I’m passionate about.
I’ve published plenty of posts on the topic over the years but to help you find them I’ve pulled together 21 of the most popular maths strategies and games and listed them below.
Number strategies and games
1. A Quick and Easy Math Activity to Help Teach Number – In the video I talk about a quick and easy math activity you can use to help teach number and the sequencing of numbers.
2. Free Hundreds Chart Puzzles – Hundreds chart puzzles are a fun way for your students to revise the order of numbers and look for patterns. Here you’ll find 3 free hundreds chart puzzles.
3. How To Teach Skip Counting – It’s interesting watching younger students learn about numbers and skip counting. I love how when they have a group of objects they must touch each one in order to count/know how many are there.
Skip counting activities help kids with fluency in calculation and is the basis for multiplication. Here I share some of my favorite skip counting ideas.
4. How To Make A Times Tables Booklet – Being able to recall multiplication facts (times tables) is an important part of mathematics. Here I share with you an alternative way to practice the times tables rather than solely focusing on drill and practice type activities.
5. Card Turnover Math Game – A card game that you can use to help your students practice and recall times tables facts.
Mental maths strategies and games
6. Counting On Strategy – The mental maths strategy of counting on is useful to use when students are first learning to add two numbers.
7. Near Doubles Strategy – Most young children learn how to double numbers pretty quickly on their own. So how can we extend this and look at near doubles to help children be able to mentally calculate?
8. Compatible Numbers Strategy – It’s important for your students to realize that mental calculations can be simplified by learning particular strategies, such as the compatible numbers strategy.
9. Partitioning Strategy – You can use the partitioning strategy for subtraction, multiplication and division, but in this post I share some of my ideas for using partitioning for addition.
10. Estimating Strategy – Estimation can be quite complex and involves your students thinking about numbers in many ways. The goal is to judge if an answer is in fact reasonable.
Space strategies and games
11. Ideas For Teaching Your Students About Polygons – Here you’ll find some fun ideas for teaching your students about polygons, including free activity sheets you could use in a math center.
12. Free Transformation Puzzles – Transformation puzzles are a fantastic way to help your students visualize and learn about translating, rotating and reflecting irregular figures.
13. Free 2D Shape Dominoes – Here are a set of 2D shape domino cards to help children learn the name of the shapes and their properties.
14. How To Create A Mystic Rose – Have your students create a mystic rose to get them exploring designs and various shapes.
Measurement strategies and games
15. Calendar Ideas And Activities – Help your students understand and use calendars with these ideas and activities. Also pick up some free calendar prompt cards.
16. 5 Ideas For Teaching Elapsed Time – 5 ideas to help your students develop the basic ideas and skills associated with measuring elapsed time.
17. Free Area Task Cards – I’ve put together some task cards that you can use with your students to review area. These cards are excellent to use as part of a math center, for individual practice or even to send home for home consolidation.
18. Free Time Task Cards – Here are some time task cards that I like to use with students to review time. There are 12 cards in total where your students will read the time on a clock face, write the time in different ways and show the time on clock faces.
Chance & data strategies and games
19. 5 Ideas For Exploring Chance – Here are some good ways to introduce the idea of chance to your students, as well as some of the specific vocabulary that you can use with your students.
20. How You Can Use Chance Picture Cards – In this activity your students will make some predictions about chance events using picture cards that show different proportions of colored balls.
21. Sorting Data With Venn Diagrams – Venn diagrams are a fun way to categorize and sort data. Here are some ideas that you can use to introduce Venn diagrams to your students.
More maths strategies and games
If you’re looking for a complete set of resources to help you with your math teaching then you might like to check out The Bumper Book of Fun Math Games and Activities.
My goal is to provide you with a ‘go to’ book of maths strategies, games and activities to help make your life as a teacher that little bit easier, but also to inspire you to try some new ideas in the teaching of math.
Click the link below to find out more:
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