First Grade Math Activities

RSS

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.

Play Placemat Place Value

Play Placemat Place Value

With a little help from grownups, almost anything can equal math discovery for kids. Take ordinary drinking straws, for example: fun for drinking juice and even for spitballs when you're not looking, but also fabulous for learning math.

Bounce that Ball: Learn Math While Doing Sports

Bounce that Ball: Learn Math While Doing Sports

With warm weather finally here, who wants to sit inside to practice graphing? Head out to the driveway, ball in hand, for a bouncing challenge. Then use those results to make a colorful graph that lets your child compare her results to those of the challenger (you!)

Cut This Calendar!

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.

Oatmeal Pancakes: Cooking with Fractions

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!

Host a Backyard Olympics!

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.

Show Me the Money!: A Math Guessing Game

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!

Count by 5s Without Losing Your Marbles!

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!

Play Popsicle Math

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.

Coin Connection: A Patterning Game

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.

Explore Wheels and Axles

Explore Wheels and Axles

You don't need to reinvent the wheel to give your kids a lesson in simple mechanics.

Disney/Pixar UP Activities Challenge
Thanksgiving Central