Low Prep Math Games

Heyo! Hopefully you're not fighting the allergy/cold/death thing that's going around my school! I think everyone is sick right now. I feel like I swallowed a razor blade, and I've used at least a pound of tissues in the last week or so. I think I'm on the up swing, but this rainy weather we've had the last few days isn't helping. Blah.

I digress.

I've been getting into the habit of having my students play a simple math game that focuses on the skill for the day, or one that reviews a skill we previously learned that I don't want them to forget! I use this time to meet with my lower math students to reinforce the skill and it's been working out great! I wanted to share a couple of easy LOW PREP math games that you can use and adapt to meet your needs!

Today we learned about doubles facts, so once we were done with independent work, I put them into groups of 4 with a tub of dominoes. The students put all the dominoes face down, then took turns flipping over 2 at a time. They then used those numbers to make one addition sentence. If their addition sentence was correct, they got 1 point. If they could write a DOUBLE, they got 2 points. The students wrote their problems on whiteboards, and the rest of the group was responsible for checking their work. I wish I could take credit for this activity, but the idea came from one of my teammates. The kids LOVED playing this game, and were so sad when I rang the bell to clean up!!

Another game that we're hooked on and could easily be adapted to meet ANY skill (even in other subjects!) is called "4 in a Row," which is a variation on Connect 4. This day, we were learning to solve addition problems with 0, 1, and 2. I made this worksheet in Microsoft Word in literally 2 minutes. It's that easy. I made a 5x6 table and filled it with addition facts that add 0, 1, and 2. Students play this game with a partner, using counters or some other game piece that you've got lots of in 2 different colors (cubes, bingo markers, bears, etc.) If they can solve the problem, they can cover it. The goal is to get 4 in a row, so their partner is constantly trying to block them at the same time. It was SUCH a fun way to review these math facts while having a little bit of quality competition among friends! Just wait till you see how excited your kiddos get playing this game! 

Both games can easily be adapted to meet multiple skills. I'm in the process of making a "Long A 4 in a Row" since my aide is going to be out tomorrow, and a sight word version since we'll be testing our first marking period words next week. Super fun! Super easy!