First Grade Math Activities
First grade is a year of firsts: your child's first full day of school, the first time she'll write a small story herself, and the first time she'll read a complete book cover to cover. We've got dozens of wacky reading and math activities, cool science experiments, and indoor and outdoor games to keep the learning fun.
Slap It!: An Odds and Evens Card Game
This activity is based on the popular card game, Slapjack. It's rip-roaring fun, and it reinforces the concepts of odd and even, which in turn will help your child succeed in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Weight Wonders: Big and Light...Heavy and Small?
First graders generally love to think concretely. So if it's a rock, it's heavy. If it's a little box of raisins, it's light. Right? Well, not always. Here's a fun activity to help build thinking skills in young scientists, and to encourage them to have a blast exploring the mass and volume. ...
Play Popsicle Math
Now that it's first grade, "Math Facts" are here. This year, you can expect addition and some subtraction. Worried? Don't be. This is a time to explore lots of fun ways to develop new skills. Here's a hands-on activity that classroom teachers use to help kids get a feel for equations.
Count by 5s Without Losing Your Marbles!
Back in kindergarten, your child probably spent lots of time counting things one by one. But now that first grade is here, he'll need to be able to count in groups, and especially by fives. This activity makes math fun, with treasure that comes in clusters!
Oatmeal Pancakes: Cooking with Fractions
Admit it. Sometimes you just don't feel like rolling out of bed in the morning. Well, with Mother's Day, Father's Day, and a host of other excuses (er, holidays) on the calendar, letting your kids make breakfast in bed every now and then seems only fair. Plus, it helps them practice fractions!
Cut This Calendar!
First grade math includes lots of work with two-digit numbers. Here is a great activity for early in the year, to practice recognizing and sequencing numbers from 1-30.
Host a Backyard Olympics!
Who needs Beijing? Gather the neighborhood kids together and host your own Olympics, right in the backyard! Not only will everyone get some exercise, but as Junior statistician, your kid will practice some key graphing skills.
Coin Connection: A Patterning Game
Lots of everyday objects can be fun, whether it's buttons, beans, or LEGO blocks. Here's an activity that uses coins to build problem-solving strategies.
Show Me the Money!: A Math Guessing Game
Does your child know the difference between a penny and a dime? Can she count by fives (nickels) and tens (dimes)? For a hands-on guessing game that helps kids identify money, try this!
Explore Wheels and Axles
You don't need to reinvent the wheel to give your kids a lesson in simple mechanics.
