Math ideas for 1st grade

First Grade Math Games That Will Really Engage Your Students

Early elementary teachers have a chance to instill in their students a love of math right from the start. One great way to do that is to make math fun! These first grade math games cover all the standard skills firsties need to know, in ways that make learning engaging and enjoyable for all.

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1. Assemble a domino puzzle

Print the free puzzles at the link below. Then grab some dominoes and start filling in the puzzle one piece at a time by placing a domino that adds up to the number shown in each rectangle. The trick is that regular domino rules still apply, so each number must touch another domino with the same number on that end.

Learn more: Games 4 Gains

2. Play tic-tac-toe with addition problems

Work out the answer to each problem in the grid, and dot or circle the ones that add up to 10. First to get three in a row wins!

Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Tic-Tac-Toe Math Game

3. Face off in Dice War

Dice games are fantastic in the classroom! With this one, kids practice their addition facts and get a little work with subitizing too. The concept is so simple: Each player rolls the dice and adds up their numbers. The highest sum wins that round. This is one of those first grade math games that can be expanded by adding a third die. (You can also use playing cards.)

Learn more: Miss Giraffe’s Class

4. Use sticky notes to make 10

Sticky notes have so many uses in the classroom. In this case, challenge students to put together the numbered notes that “make 10.” They’ll practice adding to 10 with multiple numbers. You can also do this with subtraction, starting at 10, to make zero.

Learn more: Life Over C’s

5. Play Shut the Box

This game has been played for hundreds of years, but it’s a fun and sneaky way to practice addition facts fluency. The goal is to “close” each of the numbers in the box from one to nine by rolling the dice. For instance, if a player rolls 11, they may close 1, 2, 3, and 5, as these add up to 11. If no numbers are available to add up to the dice total, play passes to the next player and continues until someone finally “shuts the box” by closing the last available number. You can play this game with a specially designed box, as it has been played for years. You don’t need the box, though; simply have kids write out the numbers 1 through 9 and cross them out as they play.

6. Assemble some addition grab bags

Fill a variety of bags with collections of small objects. Kids grab a handful from two different bags, then count and add up the results. Be sure they write it all down to get practice at setting up equations. First grade math games like this one work for subtraction too.

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Grab Bags

7. Face Off to find the difference

Each player rolls the dice (try polyhedral dice for higher numbers, or roll several dice and add them together) and builds a stack of math cubes. Then they “face off” and find the difference between their two stacks.

Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

8. Plant flowers and count on

Pick up some artificial flowers at the dollar store for this springtime garden game. Roll the die and add that number of flowers to your pot. Then roll again and add more, counting on from where you left off. Easy and fun!

Learn more: Fun-a-Day

9. Build and count on

Here’s a fun hands-on way to practice counting on and addition. You can use any type of building blocks for this one. Get free printables at the link.

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Building On

10. Print a hundreds chart to play Battleship

Help students master numbers up to 100 by playing Battleship, using a standard hundreds chart. They’ll enjoy the strategy (and the fun of crying “boom!” when they sink a ship) while they develop number sense and practice number words.

Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Hundreds Chart Battleship

11.

Fill in a number grid puzzle

These hundreds chart puzzles encourage kids to use a variety of first grade math skills to fill in the missing numbers. They’ll practice counting on, numbers to 100, skip counting, and more. Grab these 10 free printable puzzles at the link.

Learn more: Helping With Math

12. Try nuts and bolts for place-value practice

Mastering the concepts of tens and ones is more fun with hands-on activities. We love these DIY math manipulatives that use inexpensive nuts and bolts from the hardware store to drive home the idea of place value. (Bonus: Kids also practice fine motor skills!) Get free printable mats to use with this activity at the link.

Learn more: The Measured Mom

13. Have a place-value scavenger hunt

Grab a stack of old magazines and use it for a place-value scavenger hunt! You can do this one at school or send it home for homework. Get free printables to use for this first grade math game at the link.

Learn more: Primary Theme Park—Place Value Scavenger Hunt

14. Practice tens and ones with I Have, Who Has

As first graders work with the concepts of tens and ones, play this simple game to give them confidence. Using the free printable cards at the link, the first player calls out “I have …” followed by the number shown on their card in blocks. Then they call out the number on the bottom, and the player who has that number takes over.

Learn more: Playdough to Plato—I Have, Who Has

15. Deal Uno cards to compare numbers

Some first grade math games are just slightly harder versions of kindergarten ones. Make a greater than/less than mat with paper scraps and a brad, as shown. Lay out two Uno cards on each side, since first graders work on comparing two-digit numbers. Swing the arms of the signs around to the correct direction to indicate which is greater.

Learn more: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard

16. Knock down the pins with dot arrangement bowling

Take an inexpensive toy bowling set (or make your own with plastic bottles) and add sticky dots arranged in patterns. Students roll the ball and then have to quickly subitize to determine how many dots are on each pin they knocked down. If they get it right, they get the points!

Learn more: The First Grade Parade

17. Navigate a time-telling maze

Start with the first clock and color in the line that shows the correct time. That leads you to the next clock, and so on, until you’re done!

Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Time-Telling Maze

18. Assemble time-telling puzzles

Firsties should be mastering time to the hour and half hour. These free printable puzzles help them match up analog and digital clock times. Have them say the times out loud as they match them up too.

Learn more: 123Homeschool4Me—Time-Telling Puzzles

19. Match up plastic eggs

This is always a popular way to practice telling time. Draw clocks on one half of the eggs, and write out the times in numbers or words on the other half. For even more fun, hide the halves around the room and go on an egg hunt before you match them up!

Learn more: The STEM Laboratory

20.

Put together shapes to make other shapes

Use pattern blocks with the free printable cards at the link to get kids playing around with simple geometry. They’ll practice recognizing basic shapes and learn they can use some shapes to make new ones.

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Pattern Blocks

21. Partition and sort shapes

Gather up sticky notes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Draw lines on them to partition them equally or unequally. Then, have kids sort them based on type.

Learn more: Smitten With First

22. Build and measure with LEGO bricks

Everything is more fun with LEGO! Pull out a pile of square bricks and use them for these fun and free activities that incorporate estimating, measuring, and comparing length.

Learn more: Playdough to Plato—LEGO Math

23. Race and measure with toy cars

First, kids get a little STEM practice by figuring out how to build a ramp. Then, they race toy cars down the ramp, marking where they land. Finally, they compare distances using any kind of non-standard measurement they like.

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching—Non-Standard Measurement

24. Sort out your classroom toys

First graders work on sorting by attribute in as many as three categories. Put out a variety of building blocks, beads, or other classroom toys and lay out some Hula-Hoops. Ask kids to define the categories and start sorting! You can even overlap the hoops into Venn diagrams for items that meet more than one criteria.

Learn more: BSM Year 2

25. Go on a bug hunt

Grab the free printable game at the link, then have kids graph their insects as they play. When they’re done, ask questions to ensure they understand the data they’ve collected.

Learn more: Primary Theme Park—Bug Hunt

Like these first grade math games? Don’t miss these 50 First Grade Math Word Problems of the Day!

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Math Activities 1st Grade Students Absolutely Love

I hear from so many teachers that math is their least favorite subject to teach. Some of them struggled with math as a child, some find their math curriculums overwhelming, and some just have never felt as successful teaching math as they would like. Well, teaching math is my favorite, and I am obsessed with helping other teachers feel the same way. If you’re a teacher and need some fresh ideas for math activities 1st grade students will think are totally awesome, then you are in the right place!

This article is all about math activities 1^st grade teachers should always be using!

Hands-On Math Activities

Using manipulatives is a sure way to help your math activities increase engagement and effectiveness. Concrete representations are the best place to start when you’re teaching new material. Here are some of my favorite tools to use if you’re looking to incorporate some hands-on math activities for 1^st grade:

Counters

Double-Sided Math Counters on Amazon
Mini Erasers on Amazon
Squishy Animals on Amazon

So many fun options for hands-on math counters for all your math activities ideas!

There are so many fun kinds of counters you can use! Double-sided math counters, mini erasers, and small animal counters are all fun choices.
You can use counters to practice number pairs or use them with ten frame or number bond templates.
Counters can also be offered as manipulative to make give any worksheet or workbook a hands-on option for the students who need it.

Pop-Its

10 x 10 Pop It on Amazon
Pop It Game on Amazon
Small Pop Its on Amazon

Pop-Its are such a fun tool that can be used for math activities for 1st grade!

Pop-its provide a fun hands-on option for math activities. These are great for students who need extra kinesthetic feedback.
You can use them to practice counting on (students pop a circle down for each number they count on).
Get a 10×10 pop it to practice counting to 100, counting by tens, or to notice patterns within a hundreds chart.
You can even make your own ten-frame pop it by trimming them to two rows of 5!
There are even Pop-It game boards. You can create a math game activity by having students roll the dice and pop down the number they get and add on to try to make it to a certain total.

Ten-Frames

Ten-frames are a great hands-on math activities tool for young learners!

You can get physical ten frames for your class or students – magnetic ones, plastic ones, or have them as a whiteboard template.
Use your ten frames for number sense by practicing visual recognition of groups of 5.
You can also use them for practicing number pairs adding on from 5 (5+1, 5+2, etc).
And of course you can practice pairs that make 10!

Unifix Cubes:

Move one cube over at a time while counting on.
Explore different number pairs for a certain sum.
Use in number bond or ten frames.

These can be purchased on Amazon.

Use these cubes to practice counting on – start with any number and then move a cube over for every number as you count up.
Use two different colors to practice finding different number pairs for a certain sum.
You can also use cubes inside of ten frames or number bond templates to practice adding on or finding number pairs.

Math Activities With Art

I am a firm believer that the arts can help students learn every subject more richly and deeply. Even math! I use crafts, songs, and movement all the time to help students master new math concepts. The arts provide a huge number of ideas for math enrichment activities.

Math Crafts

Turn new strategies into a craft by having students use art materials to represent numbers. Crafts are a great example of math activities 1^st grade students will be engaged and excited about

I love using pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, pom poms, or sequins to represent tens and ones.
Crafts are especially perfect for units on measurement, time, money, or geometry. These units naturally lend themselves to cut and paste projects that help students apply and review math concepts.
You can even turn simple practice into a craft by adding in some fun art mediums. Have students use chalk on black paper or glitter pens and it instantly uplifts what would other feel like repetitive work!
Color by numbers are one of my go-to math activities for 1^st grade, because they incorporate some coloring and art into math. I suggest finding color by numbers that target the specific skill or strategy you’re working on (pairs that make 10, counting on by 2, adding to 10, etc.)

Math Songs

I love turning math concepts into songs. These little ditties not only help students remember things better, but they make everything much more fun. Here are some examples to get you going. They don’t have to be anything fancy!

A song for Tens and Ones:

“All teen numbers are ten and some ones,

Ten and some ones,

All teen numbers are ten and some ones!

Ten and one are what? 11!

Ten and two are what? 12! Etc. ”

A song for learning trapezoids:

“It looks like a diamond yes that’s true,

But that’s not its name I promise.

4 sides all the same length, what’s it called?

It’s a rhom, it’s a rhom, it’s a rhombus!

Rhom, rhom, rhombus, we call it a rhombus!

Rhom, rhom, rhombus, we call it a rhombus!”

A song for inequalities:

“The alligator looks for something to eat,

He’s looking for a nice big tasty treat!

One number is bigger, the other is smaller,

Which one is the alligator going to swallow?”

Math Movement Activities

Incorporating dance and movement into any math activities for kids can be so helpful. Our brains work better when we move, so let’s get our students up and out of their seats! These types of exercises are math activities kindergarten, first grade, and even second grade students will enjoy.

4 Corners: post math problems in each corner. Then pass out cards that have answer on them to each student. Students then have to find the corner with the problem that matches their card’s answer. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and repeat!
Let’s Split Them Up: A game to practice number pairs. First, choose a number for your sum. For example, you could decide to practice ways to make 8. Then choose 8 students to stand in the middle. Select one student to split them into two groups by gently moving them to different sides. Then have the student share with the class the number pair they made (for example, “5 + 3 = 8”). Repeat with different students, having each of them split the students in the middle using a different number pair.
Dance in the Shapes: First, tape lots of outlines of the different shapes you are studying on the ground. Then have students volunteer. Choose a few students to go dance in a specific shape. Play music as the students find the correct shape to stand and dance in. When the music pauses, they have to back to their seats, and it’s time to choose a new group of students.

Math Games Activities

Games are one of the go-to math activities in kindergarten and all the way up to high school. There are so many choices for how to use games as math enrichment activities. Here are some of my top suggestions:

Independent Math Games

These are great because you can have every student work at their own personal level. Two of my favorite options are the mazes from Miss Giraffe on TPT and the independent math game packs from Sweet Firstie Fun on TPT.

Math Card Games

There are so many wonderful card games that can be used as math activities for 1^st grade. Some include:

Go Fish 10: Instead of trying to get a matching pair, students try to get pairs that add up to 10. This game could be played for any sum, just remove the higher numbered cards.
Adding War: Each student flips two cards and adds them together. The student with the higher sum gets to take the pile for that turn. Whoever has all the cards at the end wins.
Slap 10: Students each flip a card. If the two cards add up to 10, they should try to slap the pile. Whoever slaps the pile first gest to take it! If a student slaps but the cards don’t equal 10, the other student gets to keep the pile! Whoever has all the cards at the end wins.

These cards are perfect for math because they are numbered 0-13! Available on Amazon.

Group Math Games

These can be fun math activities to get the whole class moving and playing together.

Bingo: Fill a bingo board with math problems. Draw cards that have the answers. Students need to find and cover a square with a problem that matches the answer you drew. Whoever gets 5 in a row gets a bingo!
Pop: A game for counting practice. First, decide what counting you want to practice (by ones, by twos, counting backwards, counting by fives, by tens, etc.) Then choose one number to be the “pop” number. For example, if we were counting backwards from 20, we might choose 14 to be the “pop” number. Go around in a circle with each students saying the next number in the counting pattern. When it’s a student’s turn to say “14”, they say “pop!” instead, and they stand up. They are now out of the counting circle. Continue with the game (when you get to 0 you would start back at 20), continuing to have students “pop” on the number 14. Whoever is the last student in the circle wins!

Math Activities Online

While I believe that hands-on, off-screen learning should be the first choice for every classroom, I can’t deny that math activities online can be highly appealing and motivating for some students. I started using Boom Cards with my remedial tutoring, and I couldn’t believe what a helpful motivator it became to help with mastering math facts! I personally found Boom Cards to be the most engaging online math activities online option. Most games I found online were pretty basic and just about repetition and memorization.

Examples of engaging Boom Cards with virtual manipulatives.

I got hooked on using Boom Cards, and I ended up creating my own line of Boom Cards! These decks teach, reinforce, and help students master their math facts up to 10. You can check all of my decks out right here, and you can even try out my “Ways to Make 10” deck for free!

Click here to see this full math fact fluency mastery program.

Boom Cards can be used as a special treat for students, or as part of a remedial math program for students who are behind.

Well friends, I hope you now have lots of ides for fun math activities for 1^st grade!

Which one of these are you most excited to try out with your students? Xoxo Laura

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Crafts

Mathematical crafts. Mathematics in your hands
- 3D rope figures
- Geometric rope games
- Pea 3D construction set
- Math with scissors
- Homemade string compasses
- Flexagons
- Round dances for halloween
- Möbius strip experiments
- Kudryashkin
New Year: snowflakes, Christmas trees coloring
- Pyramid Christmas tree
- How to make a flashlight
- Mousematic Calendars 2023
- Coloring Christmas trees
- Christmas games and video ideas
- Snowflakes: Ideas from Mousematica
- House cutting templates
- Snowflake Templates
Origami
- Ship and steamer, hat and fortune teller
- Kusudama - modular origami
- Movable origami toys
Thread crafts, baubles, mandalas and kumihimo cord
Homemade cartoons
- Hand drawn cartoons
- Shooting sand cartoons
- Thaumatrope - two-frame cartoon
Sculpting with children. Salt dough and plasticine
- Sculpting from salt dough
- Plasticine: playing with sausages and developing motor skills and imagination
- Sweet dough that does not need to be baked
- Templates for crafts from cereals and salt dough

News

Arithmetic is interesting! 02/08/2023
We posted a new walking game on the site for printing. You can play by competitive rules, or you can play by cooperative rules. The mice go for tea is a game for children aged 6-8 that introduces the idea of addition and subtraction. You can add various complications in the game, for example, introduce children to the concepts of “even” and “odd”. Walking game with chips and dice, with a simple … Read more
Playing math with adults February 12, 2023.30 in Moscow in the premises of the elementary school "Perspektiva", Nikulinskaya street 5 to 1. Until February 9, the early price is 7500 rubles, then it will be 1500 rubles more expensive. All the details and the purchase of a place for the seminar at the link. What will happen at the seminar? Arithmetic, geometry, logic … Read more
Numicon - the first exercise book in Russia 01/15/2023
Mathematics for preschoolers and first graders should be understandable and visual. That is why we use many different constructors and arithmetic materials in the classroom. One such material is called Numicon. What is a Numicon? These are such flat plastic parts with holes, all fives are red, all tens are blue, all threes are yellow. All even numbers are rectangles. All odd “s… Read more
Mousematics full-time in Ryazan 01/06/2023
Mousematics - math games for preschoolers. The first groups were in Moscow, on Tyoply Stan. Now mousematics has 30 sites throughout Moscow, as well as groups in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg. And from January 2023 we start recruiting face-to-face groups in Ryazan, teacher Maria Ermakova. You can see the schedule of face-to-face groups and portraits of teachers here. View … Read more
Math with scissors - open lesson January 6 01/06/2023
On January 6, I will be holding an open zoom lesson on math with scissors for everyone. We will try to do a live broadcast on youtube. Registration via the link At 17.00 Moscow time, a lesson for children aged 6-8. At 18, a lesson for those who are 8 and older. Come to us to explore symmetry in practice! https://mousemath.getcourse.ru/open-lesson-01.2023 Notebook "Math with scissors" is ... Read more

Why do we need mathematics? Why study, the benefits of doing mathematics

Scientists from Stanford University in the USA studied the process of solving mathematical problems by a person and found out that adults use thinking and the skill, brought to automatism, to “get” the answers already there from memory.

Children under 7 often resort to the help of fingers and toes, as well as various substitutes (real objects, counting sticks). In the "transitional period", at the age of 7 to 9, schoolchildren form the "adult" skill of "thinking", comprehending and remembering information.

An interesting study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience in 2014. First of all, it was devoted to the study of the role of the hippocampus (an area in the brain) in the development of cognitive activity in children. But his indirect conclusions are as follows:

if you want your child to have no problems with math at school, train your memory at an early age;
solving mathematical problems develops memory.

3. Math builds character

For the correct solution of mathematical and logical problems, attentiveness, perseverance, responsibility, accuracy and accuracy are needed.

The more regularly a child trains these "muscles of character", the stronger they become, the more often they help the child in solving not only educational problems, but also life problems.

LogicLike is the right training platform for 20-60 minutes a day. Solve problems, participate in olympiads in logic and mathematics, develop the will to win and the ability to win!

We create both simple and Olympiad problems that you want to solve:

tasks for grade 1;
assignments for grade 2;
assignments for grade 3.

4. Music for mathematics, mathematics for music

A comprehensive study by Barbara H. Helmrich of the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore found that children who played musical instruments in middle school did significantly better in math in high school.

Scientists have found that the same part of the brain is responsible for solving algebraic problems and processing musical information.

"The largest average difference in algebra scores between any two groups of subjects was found between African-American 'instrumental' groups and groups of 'non-musical' students. "

Paradoxically, scientists didn't seem to be interested in feedback.
After all, if the same part of the brain is responsible for the development of mathematical and musical abilities, it is possible that doing mathematics improves musical abilities.

I remember Sherlock Holmes, who was both an excellent detective and a talented violinist. Many will say that the famous English detective is just a fiction, but he had his own real prototype, a mentor and friend of Arthur Conan Doyle. The greatest physicist Albert Einstein was also a passionate violinist.

5. Math Helps You Succeed in the Humanities

It is early mathematical abilities that are a sure prerequisite for the fact that in the future the child will not only understand mathematics well, but also succeed in other school disciplines. Next in importance for contributing to academic success are reading skills and the ability to manage one's attention.

Such conclusions were reached by scientists in the field of education and social policy at Northwestern University in Evanston. During the study, they assessed the relationship of key elements of school readiness (basic skills for school admission - "academic" readiness, attention, social-emotional skills) with further academic success.

Mathematics is an interdisciplinary science, it is closely related to physics, geography, geology, and chemistry. Sociology and economics are inseparable from mathematics, and many of the conclusions of even the usual humanities, such as linguistics, journalism, are based on mathematical models and concepts, mathematical and logical laws.

6. Develops skills for solving everyday problems

Barbara Oakley, PhD, brain stem cell researcher and author of Think Like a Mathematician, emphasizes:

“Mathematics saves us from “magical thinking” - we strive to delve into the essence of things and do not rely on chance and higher powers.”

The more difficult the math problems become, the more skills are required to solve them. The child learns to reason, build sequences, think through algorithms, juggle several concepts at once, and these skills become a habit.

Thanks to mathematics, we get rid of bad habits:

we do not think, but we operate only in exact terms;
we do not just mechanically memorize information and rules, but evaluate it, analyze it, reflect in order to understand and learn new material, a new life lesson.

7. Mathematics is the basis of a successful career

If 10-15 years ago the study of foreign languages was considered promising, now you will not surprise anyone with fluency in several languages. Now professional demand largely depends on the understanding of technology, the ability to think, abstract and the ability to solve non-standard problems. It is extremely difficult for those who want to work in the IT field to do without knowledge of mathematics.

Abstract, critical and strategic thinking, analytical skills, the ability to build algorithms are a “must-have” for a good developer.

TOP 5 soft skills. Source: amazonaws.com

Successful mathematics classes give self-confidence, because success in it requires perseverance in striving to solve the most complex, sometimes, at first glance, “unsolvable” tasks and problems.

Test your strength: Math puzzles to help you: 9 selected well-known tasks for ingenuity. How many can you decide?

8. Problem Solving Builds Mental Resilience

Solving mathematical problems helps to improve the emotional background - this activity can relieve anxiety, helps control emotions and prevents stress.

These conclusions were reached by scientists from Duke University in the United States, who were able to prove this in a study published in the journal Clinical Psychology in 2016.

9. Pleasure from "x"

For a serious student of mathematics, mathematical formulas, equations and other logical and mathematical problems embody beauty, harmony and provide the same aesthetic pleasure as music, art and a good joke, says a group of researchers from several universities in the UK.

With the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging, the activity of the brain activity of the subjects was recorded during the demonstration of mathematical equations, formulas and tasks. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in 2014.

How to learn to experience the joy and pleasure of doing mathematics tells the famous American mathematician, a graduate of Harvard University, Stephen Strogatz. Applied Mathematics teacher, award-winning math and teacher in the pages of his book "The Pleasure of X" enthusiastically explains the most significant mathematical ideas in a simple and understandable way.

Try logic and math classes at LogicLike.com!

We are convinced that children, especially those aged 5-9, do not need to be told how important it is to study mathematics. It is much more important to give the child the opportunity to plunge into the world of entertaining interactive mathematics.

Learning on the LogicLike platform, children solve interesting logical problems, earn their first "star" awards for correct answers, play modern logic games - and get not only benefit, but also real pleasure from such mathematics.