Fall is such a fun season. We welcome the cooler air, the change of the leaves, and nights spent by the fire. Fall is also the beginning of the holiday season. Halloween is first up on the list. I love to celebrate for the entire month of October to really get my kids in the spirit. There are so many fun, spooky ways to amp up your lessons. Decorating your classroom can really set the mood for all of your Halloween fun too! Let's dive right into some fun first grade Halloween math activities.  First Grade Math Teaching first grade math can be exciting. There are many new skills to int ..read more

In preschool, the core of mathematics instruction is teaching numbers and counting. This is done by teaching students to identify numbers 1-10 and counting to 10. These skills are taught intentionally and on a daily basis. This is where their understanding of number sense begins to take place. As students move into kindergarten, the skills will build on each other and lead to recognizing and counting higher numbers. There are tons of ways to teach number sense in your classroom. I'm going to talk about my favorite three fun and easy ways to teach number sense in pre-k and kindergarten.  ..read more

The beginning of the year is such a fun and exciting time. Our classrooms are looking amazing, and we are eagerly waiting for the chance to meet our new students. Once school begins there are so many things to do. We need to get our kiddos settled and establish rules and procedures...not to mention the TON of paperwork to complete. Plus, we need to begin assessing our students and reviewing last year's skills and concepts. Phew! I'm tired just thinking about it! I hope I can make your life a little bit easier with these math fun for second grade back-to-school ideas. Back to School Fun Your ..read more

When you hear the word "algebra," you may automatically think middle and high school math. This is when pre-algebra instruction typically begins. We need to rethink this, though. We should introduce our kiddos to algebraic concepts early. I'm talking very early...early as in when we introduce number sense. You're probably wondering how on earth to do that. Here are four ways to get your kids thinking algebraically.  What is Algebraic Thinking? Algebraic thinking includes many topics, like making generalizations, recognizing and forming patterns, studying relationships, and analyzing ho ..read more

First grade is a big year! First graders are just beginning to learn new concepts that will carry them through the primary grades and help lay the foundation for more complex skills. Sometimes, it can feel a bit overwhelming to keep students' attention while touching on all of these things. Over the years, I've found a tried and true solution- seasonal math activities! Come along as we chat about some of my favorite fall math activities for the first-grade classroom.  Addressing First Grade Math Standards There really is SO much to learn in first grade when it comes to math. First-grad ..read more

As a math teacher in the elementary classroom, helping our students build a strong number sense is an important concept we must all work on.  While the numbers we focus on may change over the years, helping our students understand those numbers and what they represent is vital to their future math classes.  A hundred chart is one of my favorite tools for working on number sense in the primary classroom.  Check out these fun hundred chart activities for helping your students build a solid foundation with numbers to 100. And. . . if you teach upper elementary students, these same ..read more

The beginning of a new school year is a magical time. There's newly decorated classrooms, loads of new school supplies, and a room of excited new faces.  It's a fresh start and a time for new beginnings.  Start your year off with some amazing back to school math activities that will help you get to know your students and their skills. Math Read-Alouds Students of all ages love to be read to and books are an excellent way to introduce a new math topic! Here are a few of my favorite math-themed read-alouds that are perfect for the first week back to school. 1. Place Value - This ..read more

Starting off the new school year is always a big undertaking! One crucial aspect of beginning-of-the-year lesson planning always involves review in my classroom. At the beginning of second grade, it's important to review what students learned in first grade. This serves as a great refresher for students, and it gives you valuable data. You'll know exactly what students know, as well as what they need to work on. Today I'm sharing my favorite strategies for math review at the beginning of the year.  Starting The Year Off With Math Review  At the beginning of the year ..read more

Summer will be here before we know it. We've worked so hard with our students all year filling their minds and growing their hearts. The last thing we want to happen is the dreaded summer slide.  So, it's important to send our students home equipped with some activities to help keep their minds fresh and active during their break. We want them to head into next year being fully prepared. Today I'm going to share my favorite activity to stop the summer slide with some fun math practice.  Summer Slide The summer slide is a real thing. When learning slows down for students in between ..read more

The end of the school year is such a busy time. We get to celebrate all of our wins and accomplishments from the year. So much growth has taken place since your students' first day in your classroom. Everyone's hard work and dedication have paid off. A great way to see and measure all of that growth is through a review. I love to do this in a fun, exciting way. Today, I'm going to share my First Grade Fiesta End of the Year Review with you! End of the Year Review A good review will cover all.the.things from the entire year. That can sound like such a daunting task.  We want to make sur ..read more