This document provides 20 fun math activities for the classroom, including reading math-focused storybooks, creating mnemonic devices, using daily math starters, and playing educational math games like Prodigy. Some key activities mentioned are having students make up rhymes and stories to help remember math facts, finding age-appropriate math books that present skills through narratives, and using the free Prodigy platform which adapts problems based on individual students' abilities. The document recommends introducing engaging math activities to help keep students interested and performing better.

1. 20 Fun Math Activities forYour Classroom
[+ Downloadable List]
December 14, 2017 Marcus Guido Game-Based Learning, Teaching Tools
When students think “fun,” memories of math class likely won’t be the first to pop into their
heads. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
There are approaches and exercises, with and without computers, that can enliven your math
lessons.
You’ll likely find that the reward justifies the work of preparing and introducing them. After
all, according many studies from as early as the 1960s, engaged students pay more attention
and perform higher than disengaged ones.
Complete with a downloadable list to keep at your desk for quick reference, below are 20
fun math activities for students. Make math class more engaging by using the ones that best
apply to you.
1. Read a Math Book
Show your students that reading engaging stories isn’t exclusive to language arts class.
There are many age-appropriate math books that effectively explain skills and techniques
while providing exercises to help students understand content. For example, the Life of Fred
series introduces and teaches essential math skills aligned with most elementary school
curricula. The four books, each containing 19 lessons, present content through stories about
cats, ice cream and other child-friendly subjects. With full answer keys, the series lends itself
to practicing, reviewing or learning entire skills. You can find age- and topic-specific math
books through a few Amazon searches or a brief bookstore visit.
2. 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 4×4 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.
3. Deliver a Daily Starter

2. Drop by Scholastic’s Daily Starters page each morning to find entry tickets suited to solo
and group work.
Content levels range from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade, including problems from subjects
other than math. Many teachers either print the questions or project them onto a whiteboard.
Aside from entry tickets, there are different ways to use Daily Starters — such as including
them in learning stations or wrapping up a lesson with them.
4. Play Prodigy
Try Prodigy — a free game-based learning platform aligned with curricula around the globe
— to engage your class while reinforcing lessoncontent and teaching essential skills.
It borrows elements from students’ favourite video games, such as Pokémon, as they compete
in math duels against in-game characters. To win, they must answer sets of questions. You
can customize these questions to supplement class material, deliver assessments, prepare for
tests and more. If you choose to not customize content, Prodigy uses adaptive learning and
differentiated instruction principles to adjust problems, addressing each student’s trouble
spots.