Patterns in the tree. Print and digital activity.

Believe it or not, we are already getting close to 100 days of school! Completing 100 days of school is exciting for many reasons, the most important of them being that it is a great opportunity (and an excuse) to play some more games, solve some more puzzles, do some …

Using Mental Math strategies means solving a math problem mentally using a conceptual understanding of the numbers. Teaching Mental math Strategies to students is very important as it develops their flexible thinking and boosts their confidence in math. Being able to use the multiplication properties to apply mental math strategies …

As an extension to our linear equations unit, I have designed a few games to encourage students to do some extra practice. The games are great for practice, review, and self-correction, however, they don’t teach how to solve linear equations. Make sure that your students understand linear equations and the …

A game for comparing fractions was missing from our collection so here it is. This is a simple racing game that requires students to compare fractions and recognize equivalent ones. The students can use the fraction bars to compare the fractions (included) or other strategies such as Comparing both to …

At mathcurious we love math puzzles and brain teasers. Anything that tickles the brain and improves mathematical thinking. Puzzles provoke creativity and show the students how different math concepts and combinations of them can be used to solve problems in unexpected ways. Are your students smarter than a chicken? Have them …

Fractions operations are usually a challenging concept for students to grasp. The multiplication of fractions seems to be “easier” than adding and subtracting fractions since the algorithm is more straightforward in the sense that we do not need to find the LCM and turn the fractions into like ones. However, …

Students need a variety of activities to learn and experience numbers. Learning to count, identifying numbers, and understanding quantity are just the beginning. They need to be able to compare, and order numbers, skip count, find patterns, represent numbers, and more. Here are some ideas of games/activities that you can …

Adding and subtracting fractions, especially heterogeneous ones (with unlike denominators), is often a challenging concept for students since there is a lot of prerequisite knowledge involved like fluency with multiplication and division facts, LCM, equivalent fractions, and more. Before students start with adding and subtracting fractions they need to have …

Base ten blocks, bead strings, 100 grids, place value discs, and more manipulatives provide hands-on ways to learn place value, number concepts, operations, measurement, and much more. Students use these manipulatives to physically represent numbers so they can develop a deeper understanding. Building number combinations with manipulatives help students understand …

Multiplication facts fluency is very important as it is the base for many concepts like multi-digit multiplication, equivalent fractions, division, and, much more. Multiplication facts practice deserves time and effort. Rushing into drills that promote meaningless memorization with endless repetition will not help in the long run. Allow students to …

By transforming any math activity into a “puzzle” you can instantly engage students and make a lesson so much more exciting. I often use puzzles to initiate number talks and to challenge my students. I love the Aha! moments they have once they solve a problem/puzzle. Why do students enjoy …