1. Play Prodigy
2. Read a Math Book
3. Create Mnemonic Devices
Dedicate time for students to create mnemonic devices -- cues such as rhymes and acronyms -- to help recall math facts.A popular example is “I need to be 16 years-old to drive a 4x4 pickup truck.” Such cues should be rhymes or quick stories that distill larger chunks of information, always using tangible objects or scenarios to make them memorable. Although you can think of mnemonic devices yourself and share them with students, it’s beneficial to run an activity that gets them to make their own. They’ll likely find it easier to remember ones they create.4. Deliver a Daily Starter
5. Visit the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
Have students visit the online National Library of Virtual Manipulatives to access activities that involve digital objects such as coins and blocks.
Created by Utah State University, the online library aims to engage students. To do so, there are manipulation tasks for students at every grade level. For example, a 6th grade geometry activity involves using geoboards to illustrate area, perimeter and rational number concepts. Ideal for classes with one-to-one device use, the website can also act as a learning station.
6. Run a Round of Initials
Add a game-like spin to content reviews by playing Initials.
Hand a unique sheet to each student that has problems aligned with a common skill or topic. Instead of focusing on their own sheets, students walk around the room to solve questions on their classmates’. Here’s the catch: A student can only complete one question per sheet, signing his or her initials beside the answer. The exercise continues until all questions on each sheet have answers, encouraging students to build trust and teamwork.
7. Play Math Baseball
One team will start “at bat,” scoring runs by choosing questions worth one, two or three bases. You’ll “pitch” the questions, which range in difficulty depending on how many bases they’re worth. If the at-bat team answers incorrectly, the defending team can correctly respond to earn an out. After three outs, switch sides. Play until one team hits 10 runs, or five for a shorter entry or exit ticket.
8. Start a Game of Around the Block
Play Around the Block as a minds-on activity, using only a ball to practice almost any math skill.
First, compile questions related to a distinct skill. Second, have students stand in a circle. Finally, give one student the ball and read aloud a question from your list. Students must pass the ball clockwise around the circle, and the one who started with it must answer the question before receiving again. If the student incorrectly answers, pass the ball to a classmate for the next question. If the student correctly answers, he or she chooses the next contestant.
9. Play Math Tic-Tac-Toe
10. Modify a Classic Card Game
Put a mathematical twist on a traditional card game by having students play this version of War. Students should pair together, with each pair grabbing two decks of cards. Cards have the following values:- Ace -- 1
- Two to 10 -- Face value
- Jack -- 11
- Queen -- 12
- King -- 13
11. Share TeacherTube Videos
12. Co-ordinate Live Video
Don’t limit yourself to pre-recorded videos -- straightforward conferencing technology can allow subject matter experts to deliver live lessons to your class. Whether it’s a contact from another school or a seasoned lecturer you reach out to, bringing an expert into your classroom will expose your students to new ideas and can lighten your workload. Add the person on Skype or Google Hangouts, delivering the lesson through the program. Skype even has a list of guest speakers who will voluntarily speak about their topics of expertise.13. Research the Leaning Tower
- Develop an itinerary, complete with a budget, for a trip to Pisa
- Calculate measurements such as the tower’s area and volume
- Investigate the tower’s structure, determining if or when it’ll fall
14. Party on Pi Day
Celebrate Pi Day on March 14 each year by dedicating an entire period, or more, to the mathematical constant. Although specific activities depend on your students, you can start the lesson by giving a historical and conceptual overview of pi -- from Archimedes to how modern mathematicians use it. After, delve into exercises. For younger students, get construction paper and choose a colour to represent each digit. Red can be one, blue is two, green can represent three and so on. Their task is to arrange and order the paper to represent as much of pi’s value as possible. For older students, run learning stations that allow them to complete questions, process content and play math games related to pi. For a fun finish, serve students pizza or another kind of pie.15. Hold a Scavenger Hunt
16. Play One-Metre Dash
Start this quick game to build students’ perception and understanding of measurement. Grouping students in small teams, give them metre sticks. They then look around the room for two to four items they think add up to a metre in length. In a few minutes, the groups measure the items and record how close their estimates were. Want more of a challenge? Give them a centimetre-mark to hit instead of a metre. You can then ask them to convert results to micrometres, millimetres and more.17. Put a Twist on Gym Class
18. Run Think-Pair-Share Exercises
Launch a think-pair-share exercise to expose students to three lesson-processing experiences in quick succession. As the strategy’s name implies, start by asking students to individually think about a given topic or answer a specific question. Next, pair students together to discuss their results and findings. Finally, have each pair share their ideas with the rest of the class, and open the floor for further discussion. The three parts of this exercise vary in length, giving you flexibility when lesson planning. And because it allows your students to process content individually, in a small group and in a large group, it caters to your classroom’s range of learning and personality types19. Hold a Game of Jeopardy
20. Take on a Challenge from Get The Math
Teach your students about how math is used in different careers and real-world situations by visiting Get the Math. The website, aimed at middle and high school students, features videos of young professionals who explain how they use algebra. They then pose job-related questions to two teams of students in the video. Your class can also participate, learning how to apply algebraic concepts in different scenarios. It’s a straightforward way to vary and contextualize your lesson content.Downloadable List of the 20 Fun Math Activities
Click here to download the list of exercises, keeping it at your desk for quick reference.Final Thoughts
Each of these exercises can inject engagement into your lessons, helping students process content and demonstrate understanding.What’s more, they’re versatile. You can use many of the above activities to introduce concepts or reinforce lessons, and as minds-on exercises or exit tickets. Useful for you, fun for students. Who says math can’t be engaging?>>Create or log in to your teacher account on Prodigy -- a free game-based learning platform that delivers fun math activities based on the student’s unique strengths and skill deficits. Aligned with curricula across the English-speaking world, it’s loved by more than 700,000 teachers and 25 million students.