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.
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!
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.
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!
Explore Volume: Who's Got the Biggest Fist?
Challenge your child to see who in the family has the "biggest" fist.This is a fun way to introduce kids to the concept of volume, and give them a quick hand's on activity to boot.
Explore Wheels and Axles
You don't need to reinvent the wheel to give your kids a lesson in simple mechanics.
Play with Pulleys
Get a handle on basic mechanics with this simple household exercise.
Cover All
Use your number sense to complete this activity. Draw from a deck of cards to determine your number. Create an addition problem with that sum. Try to use as many numbers as possible in a quest to take over the game board!
Cover Up
Check out this exciting way to practice addition! This two player game uses dice to get its point across. Players add up numbers to find different sums. There is plenty of repetition, which makes this game a fun alternative to flash cards.
Shake 'em Up
Practice adding in a whole new way! Shake those dice and try to roll big numbers. Add them up and cross your fingers. If your sum is larger than the other players', you win!
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