Math time is not every student’s favorite time of day. I think it should be, but I know that it is not. Many students are intimidated by math because they think it is hard. Make math in your classroom easy and fun with some exciting math warm-up activities. Some of these student-approved exercises will have your students excited about learning more math.
Why Are Math Warm-Ups Important?
In 1st grade, guided math is so important in helping students master the math standards. We already talked about how math is not everyone’s favorite time of the school day, even though it should be. To make it more fun and engaging, though, make the math itself more fun and engaging. By incorporating games, trivia, and competition into your warm-up time, you are engaging your students’ interest and playing into their sense of fun.
Math warm-up activities help remind students what they have been learning and call back to information they already know. By reviewing well-known facts or facts that are at least a little bit familiar, students will feel more at ease. They will feel a sense of familiarity and that maybe this math stuff isn’t so hard. Reviews are an important part of math as it helps to build a base for future math knowledge to be introduced.
What Math Warm-Ups Can I Do?
A great place to start with math warm-up activities is simply having a number of the day. Spend time talking about one number a day and some examples of things that equal that number. For example, the number 8 can be connected to stop signs, spiders, and rectangles. Students will love connecting the number of the day to the world around them.
Try a simple game I like to call Mystery Numbers. I tell the students clues to find the number I’m thinking of. For example, the number is even, greater than 23, but less than 29. You could even turn it into a 20 questions type of game for students to use their sleuthing skills to figure out the number.
Work-it-outs is another great game students love. Give them a number that is actually an answer, then they have to figure out what the math equation was to get to that answer. There are lots of answers, and your students can all be right!
Where Can I Find Some Online Resources For More Math Warm-Up Activities?
Jack Hartmann’s kids music channel on youtube has some great songs. The students have so much fun singing along they don’t even realize they are learning about math. I use these videos several times a week. There are so many options such as counting to 100 or 120, skip counting by 5s, 2, or 10s, addition facts, doubles facts and so much more. Not only do the kids sing along but the videos also have the kids up dancing or exercising.
If you are looking for a lot of great resources to incorporate into your guided math time as well as some math warm-up activities, check out this resource available for you: First Grade Guided Math Year Long Bundle.
In this year long bundle I provide daily lesson plans that include a game each day. Sometimes I will use the game from the previous day’s lesson as a warm up to our guided math time the following day. It’s a great way to review and get the kids warmed our for our time together.
If you want to try one of these games out for free you can! Click here to grab a free mystery number word problem activity today!
Math Warm Up Activities Are So Important
Math warm-up activities are so important to keep your students engaged in the material they are learning in math. The activities help your students remember the material they have already learned and apply it in the activities which further cements remembering the material and being able to recall it quickly in the future. If you already use math warm-ups but want to incorporate them into guided math groups and need help getting started, make sure to read this blog post with helpful tips and tricks!
There are many great ideas for math warm-up activities. Which ones are your favorite? Comment below which ones work best for your classroom and/or which new ideas you’d like to try!
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[…] do a daily math warm up together as a class for about the first ten minutes of class, then we get to work on guided math […]