1St grade math tools
Top 10 Math Tools for Your Primary Classroom
Getting ready for a new school year? Well, I am here to help you decide what are some of your MUSTS for math.
There are so many resources for math that it is hard to decide what you really need. Let me help you!
1. Dice
A classroom must is DICE. We use them every day. Most math games require dice. If you have to have dice, why not get them in pretty colors? The second link is for dice in dice which are fabulous fun and useful for larger numbers.
2. Unifix Cubes
My classroom could not run without unifix cubes. We use them for addition, subtraction, building sets, place value, measurement and data. I have hundreds of them! My firsties love to play with them during Friday Fun, too!
3. Number lines
Number lines are vital for addition and subtraction. We use these to learn to count up. I photocopy number lines onto thick cardstock and laminate them. This way students may draw hops up or back and wash to erase. These number lines are available for free on my TPT store. Get them here.
I also have a class set of these number lines from Really Good Stuff. The students love to use these! They make math fun.
4. Polydrons
We love polydrons! They make a great math station and children must problem solve to use them. Polydrons are my top geometry tool because they work on spatial reasoning, fine motor skills, problem solving, composing and decomposing shapes all while learning geometry.
5. Rekenreks
Rekenreks are essential in my math classroom. Rekenreks show groups of five and ten. This is so important to build number sense and work in a base ten system. They help students learn to subitize; which is one of the most important math skills. I have a top selling pack on Teachers Pay Teachers as well.
I made colorful rekenrek bracelets for the beginning of the year for ten facts. I used pipe cleaners and pony beads. I taped the end of the pipe cleaners to stop them from fraying. We have used these for 3 years now and they still look like new.
I use rekenreks for phonemic awareness and phonics, too. Students slide a bead for each sound they hear in a word.
Here are a few other alternatives for rekenreks:
6. Ten Frames
Ten frames are another necessity in your primary math classroom. We play ten frame (and twenty frame) flash for subitizing, add and subtract on the number mats, compose and decompose numbers, partition numbers and draw them to solve problems.
My Math Lessons and Games pack has printable ten frames if buying them is out of the question. You could print out a blank ten frame and use unifix cubes or some sort of marker to build on them.
Here are some of the ten frames I own:
7.
Cards
There are so many uses for playing cards that I must have lots and lots in my class. I use regular cards and Uno Cards.
This is one of my students favorite games. It’s so good for them because it helps them get a solid understanding of all the ways to make ten. Use two sets of Uno cards {1-9} and shuffle them. Students lay out the cards like they would for concentration. They turn over to get two cards that equal ten. When all the cards are gone, whoever has the most cards, wins.
8. Number grids
We use these to count up and count back. We look for patterns. We count by tens. Number grids are the best! I have these free in my Caddy Pack resource. Print them out on cardstock and laminate so students can write on them.
9. Pattern blocks
Patterning is an important primary skill! Students not only learn how to continue patterns with pattern blocks, they can make patterns, compose figures made of pattern blocks and learn shape attributes.
10. Geoboards
Geoboards are an excellent tool for geometry. Children learn attributes of shapes. They can make circles. Students can even show equal parts and fractions of shapes on geoboards.
What do you think are must have tools for math? I’d love to know. Please reply with your favorites!
5 Must-Have Math Manipulatives for First Grade Classrooms
What if I told you that you could transform your math block with these five must-have first grade math manipulatives? If you know me, you know I LOVE teaching math. But I didn’t always have the tools to do it successfully.
Time after time, if I couldn’t provide my first graders with significant visual and tactile representations, we would often just hit a wall. I needed to find ways to help them go from physical, concrete understanding to abstract thinking about numbers. That’s how my collection of math manipulatives for first grade began. Over the years, math manipulatives have become my jam.
Friends, I can’t even tell you how many hours (days?) I’ve spent scouring the internet looking for the just-right first grade math manipulatives for my classroom. It might even be my favorite kind of online shopping. So that’s why I just can’t wait to share my five favorite math manipulatives for first grade to make your math centers a success!
You can click on any of the headings below for an Amazon affiliate link, where you can find a direct link to the specific manipulative I use in my classroom. If you happen to order one of the manipulatives from the link provided, I earn a small percentage of that sale, which goes towards the maintenance of my blog.
For me, there is one first grade math manipulative that no teacher should be without: unifix cubes! Unifix cubes have transformed my young students’ math learning and are arguably the most important and versatile math manipulative for first grade.
In first grade, we are still working with low numbers (mostly under 20).
Unifix cubes are an excellent alternative to base ten blocks. In fact, I prefer them.
When using unifix cubes, we can support TWO concepts with one first grade math manipulative. One example you’ll see every day in my classroom: students building their own sticks of ten to practice number composition and decomposition. With time, they will organically begin composing higher and higher numbers, and as they get more advanced they can literally construct hundreds out of tens. This process beautifully sets the stage for our work with place value. The ability to compose and decompose numbers is crucial to any first grader’s mathematical foundation of understanding.
One more plug for unifix cubes– use them for quick assessment! Informal assessments like “In the Bag” are no-prep and hands-on ways for use to quickly check a student’s math thinking!
2-side counters are another one of the best first grade math manipulatives for building number sense.
I use them in a dozen center activities, especially my addition and subtraction centers. Not to mention, their shape and design are perfect for tens-frame activities.
One of my FAVORITE activities with 2-sided counters is Spill A Sentence! Students spill a specific number of counters. They observe how many of each color is right side up. They color in circles to record their spill. Then, they record a number sentence to represent their spill. Sounds so simple, right? Yet this is always a year-round favorite go-to game in my classroom. Sometimes simple is all we need!
Addition & Subtraction Pack
Additional and Subtraction: Over 100 pages packed with over 20 different addition and subtraction math center games and activities! NO FILLER PAGES HERE! This mega pack is aimed to develop number sense and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Buy Now
I’ve been thinking about mottos for differentiation. One would be: ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CHANGE THE DICE! I love dice.
I have a slight obsession. So much so, that I have designed an entire dice organizer. But my love of dice is not unwarranted! In order to differentiate, all you need to do sometimes is change the dice! This is why dice will always be one of my go-to math manipulatives for first grade.
For first grade, I love to have a variety of dice. My first grade dice organizer includes numerals, dots, and 3-12 sided dice.
How do I use all these dice to differentiate my activities? Easy! After a quick assessment, I match the dice to a student’s conceptual strength and their working number. Dots encourage students to continue one-to-one correspondence across levels. The ten frame dice are phenomenal for activities involving ten frames. Numerals are quick and easy for kids who are ready.
Working number and dice make a great partnership for differentiation. For example, if a student’s working number is 5, they play each activity with dice 1-5 or 0-5. If their working number is 8, they use dice that go up to 8.
This way all of my students are doing the same activity, but it is tailored to their exact needs! Dice are one of favorite manipulatives in first grade that offer multiple entry points so all students are working at their just-right levels.
I couldn’t leave ten frames off this list! Ten frames are a staple in any collection of first grade math manipulatives. They are a key tool to support the learning of composition and decomposition of ten, which we know is one of the most significant building blocks in foundational math knowledge.
Ten frames are also incredible tools for reinforcement of combinations of 5, 10, and 20. Additionally, reinforcement of these numbers helps develop strategies for mental math! As students grow in their understanding, I also love using double ten frames. They show the connection between tens and twenties, providing visual support for those learners who sometimes get stuck on those tricky teen numbers, and opportunities for work with two-digit numbers for those who are ready.
You can grab yourself some free ten-frame sets in my Printable Math Manipulatives Pack!
Free Printable Math Manipulatives
Need to keep students supplies separate, but still want them to have access to ALL the math manipulatives? Grab these free printables and problem solved!
Give it to me!
This list wouldn’t be complete without playing cards– NUMERAL playing cards that is. If you’re unfamiliar with the term or don’t believe that they are a useful math manipulative for first grade, let me explain!
Numeral playing cards are simple cards with numerals on them. They can be used for centers, small groups, and even whole group lessons.
These cards are so versatile, which is why they will always have a place on my shelf as one of my all-time favorite first grade math manipulatives. I love using them to play classic games like Memory or Go Fish. Even more amazing… they are self-correcting! Mis-matches are quickly caught at the end of the game.
Students can go back through their pairs and identify misunderstandings.
My absolute favorite numeral playing cards are ones with ten frames on the cards themselves. This way the cards sneakily reinforce mental math understanding of composing 10 while connecting a concrete number to the abstract numeral! As I’m sure you can tell by now, I love an opportunity to sneak in the reinforcement of skills!
Free 10 Frame Playing Cards
Upgrade the playing cards in your classroom to include ten frames! This will immediately help reinforce skills like composing and decomposing ten, as well as subitizing with ten fames! WIN/WIN!
Give it to me!
I hope this list of my five favorite math manipulatives for first grade helps give you some ideas about how to grow your own math manipulative collections! Do you have a favorite I missed? Share with us!
Loving this post? Check out my top five must-haves for second grade!
Mathematics presentation "Tools teach" - Interactive presentations in mathematics - Mathematics, Algebra, Geometry
Yegorova Elena 5.
0
Product review SHA PRO Analysis of reading technique by grades
and quarters
I want to express my deep gratitude on behalf of teachers primary school gymnasium "Pushchino" to the programmers who created this wonderful program! What we used to did hand-to-hand combat, now can be put into a table and get an analysis for each student and class report. Great, delight! We immediately appreciated the benefits. FROM the beginning of the new school year will be actively used. Therefore, no wishes We are not here yet, thanks. Very simple and clear instructions important! I thank you and your colleagues for this important work. It's very nice when colleagues understand how can "simplify" the work of a teacher.
Nagovitsina Olga Vitalievna 5.0
teacher of chemistry and biology, secondary school with. Chapaevka, Novoorsky district, Orenburg region
Product Review SHA Excel Template Analyzer of the results of the OGE
in CHEMISTRY
Thank you, the analytical report is wonderful, the OGE is chemistry and biology.
Very facilitated the analytical work of , identified bottlenecks in preparation for exam. My workload, like all teachers, is high. Your template saves time , I showed your template to my colleagues, they also purchased it. Thank you.
Alexandra Chazova 5.0
Product review SHA Excel Template Analyzer of OGE results for
MATHEMATICS
Very good template, easy to use, trial testing analysis took a matter of minutes. There were problems with the printout of the report, but we need to do it again figure out. Thank you very much for a quality analyzer.
Loseyeva Tatyana Borisovna 5.0
Primary school teacher, MBOU secondary school No. 1, Krasnovishersk, Perm Territory
Product feedback Making a certificate or competition certificate
Thank you very much for the prompt production of certificates! Everything is very beautiful .
My student is satisfied, he invested his certificate in portfolio . We will definitely continue to cooperate with you!
Yazenina Olga Anatolyevna 4.0
primary school teacher, Smolensk Center for Education for Children with Special Educational Needs
Product review Webinar How to create an interesting lesson:
tools and techniques
I watched the webinar! Was very satisfied with what I received information. Everything is very clear, without "water". Everything that is said is shown, very useful in the practice of any teacher. And I will definitely use useful webinar materials. Thank you very much to the lecturer for being shared your experience!
Arapkhanova Ashat 5.0
ShA Attendance sheet + Summary for preschool educational institution OKUD
I would like to thank you for such help.
