Looking for some news to spruce up your math block? Here you will find 7 quick and easy math center ideas for your elementary school classroom. These math centers are easy to implement and fun for students.
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1- Number Chart Puzzles
Hundreds or 120’s charts became a huge hit with my 2nd graders when I cut them up into puzzles! This idea came from Catherine Reed of The Brown Bag Teacher. She has a great post on it here.
Once I printed the number charts on cardstock for durability, I cut them and arranged each ‘puzzle’ into ziploc baggies. Students are given number charts to fill in once they put their puzzle together for a fun math center idea.
2- Rolling Dice for Number Sense
Adding dice to any center amps up the fun factor! Especially when you have the non-traditional dice with more than 6 sides like these that I use for my math centers and games. Using dice helps build number sense and offers hands-on learning for students in across grade levels.
3- Turning Math Facts into Card Games
Goldfish–Matching–Concentration. Whatever you want to call it. Turning math flash cards upside down and finding the matching pairs will always be more fun than just a plain worksheet on math facts. Entice your learners with a variety of math card games like the ones featured in this blog post here.
4- Flashcard Goldfish
This math center idea involves partner or group work. Use any traditional set of flashcards, lay them down flat and have students take turns to find the pairs. Instead of identical matching pairs, use math facts pairs for the answers. I’ve used this for addition, subtraction, and even multiplication.
5- Incorporating QR Codes with Math Riddles
Solving math riddles is a great center idea that my kids go crazy over. Once students solve the math riddle, they scan the QR Code to reveal the answer.
I don’t know what excites them more, solving the math riddle or getting to scan the QR Code! Either way, they are engaged and love this math center.
Related Post: Promoting Critical Thinking with Math Riddles (FREEBIE included)
6- Task Cards with a Twist
I love task cards! Especially since I get to keep them neatly stored in these little boxes of wonderfulness, which are photo storage boxes that I use to organize most of my task cards.
These Critical Thinking Math Task Cards combine logic, critical thinking, and math skills all in one. The colorful pictures make them less intimidating for my kiddos that have a resistance to engaging in math work/lessons. #YouKnowThatKid!
If you need a break from the traditional rectangle task card, your students will get a kick out of these cell-phone shaped math task cards.
I also love using these for review in my math center rotation time. The fact that it’s shaped like a cell phone with text messages make them eye-catching for students. And anything eye-catching means you will not be seen as ‘the boring teacher.’ The content is still rigorous, even with all the fun they provide.
Students work on these during center rotations or when they finish something early.
The text bubbles feature a problem to solve. Your kiddos can correct these directly on the cell-phone or you can print the recording sheet for student answers. The recording sheets for students make it easy for me to check their completed work. This set has math and ELA task cards; you can find more details on them by clicking here.
7-Hands On Math Group Games
The goal of math centers in my classroom is to build on math skills and concepts that we’ve learned during whole group instruction. Review games played in groups provide wonderful so many benefits to our kids!
Math group games teach relevant content and problem-solving skills.
Not only do math group games give students a chance to practice relevant content, but they also help students develop problem -solving skills (for those inevitable fightsΒ ‘spirited conversations’ during competitive games.)
Students also provide tons of incidental learning to one another during math group games.
More Math Center Ideas
As a bonus, here’s a video showing another quick and easy math center idea you can use in your elementary classroom.
I designed these math match-up games for engaging, hands-on practice learning math facts and concepts like:
- Addition & Subtraction with and without regrouping
- Multiplication and Division
- Fractions
- Decimals
You can find out more these fun math games by visiting my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check out the nitty-gritty details HERE.
What math centers do you use in your classroom? Or what tips can you offer on how to make math center rotation easier? Please share your wonderful ideas below!
