4th Grade Frenzy: February 2019
Facebook Email Me Bloglovin TPT Shop Pinterest Image Map
Home About Me Shop Freebies

February 15, 2019

3 Fun and Easy Ways to Practice Math Facts!

math-facts


Integrating fact practice into your daily math routine is easy! Here are 3 fun ways to have your students practice their facts every (or almost every) day.


1. Musical Math


Put some music on and let the kids dance!

Print out any fact practice worksheet that you want the kids to work on. A worksheet with 50+ problems works well. There are plenty of free fact practice worksheets out there or just use any that you already have.

Place a fact worksheet on each student's desk. Explain the rules to your kiddos:

- You will be working on your own fact worksheet until you hear the music playing.
- When you hear the music, get up and dance about. (No running!)
- When the music stops, sit in any seat and continue the work on that worksheet.
- Work until you hear the music play again.
- We will continue until everyone's worksheet is finished, or just about finished.
- Then you will check the answers on your own paper for completion and accuracy.
- Finally, we will check the answers together, with a small group, or with a partner.

I have the students use the pencil at the desk they are working at so that they are not dancing around with pencils!

Keep the pace quick. Students work for about a minute and then play the music. Continue until the worksheets are nearing completion. Decide how you want to check answers.

*Option: Use a bunch of different worksheets so that no 2 are the same or have several of each operation and have the kids work on any of them during the musical math practice. Students can then check answers with their operation group (addition group, subtraction group, multiplication group, division group).

Brain break and practice all in one!


2. Play Hot Seat!


WARNING! This game gets loud and competitive!

Grab a chair and a stack of flashcards. Explain the rules to the kids:

- One student will sit in the hot seat. The rest of you will line up behind the hot seat.
- The student in the hot seat and the one student right behind the hot seat will compete to answer a fact. The student who answers correctly first gets to sit or stay in the hot seat. The one who does not answer correctly first goes to the back of the line
- If the 2 kids tie, we will repeat with another flash card until one student is first.
- Your goal is to try to sit or stay in the hot seat!

Choose one student to sit in the chair and have the rest of the group line up behind the chair. Begin play. Once the kiddos get the game, divide your group in half and have 2 games going at once to increase engagement. If you are a solo teacher, choose a student to be a leader of the second group and handle the flashcards. The kids love to be a leader!

I have often played this game outside on a nice day!



3. Math Exit Tickets



Get a FREE sample (featured in the TpT newsletter!) HERE.




A full set is available HERE.

One teacher writes:
"Love these! I use them as an end-of-the-day exit ticket while they are packing up to leave. They pack up quick so they can be the first to choose a fact!"

I think this is such a creative use for this resource!


Are you a subscriber yet?

FREE Activity for new subscribers:  Sign up for the Fourth Grade Frenzy newsletter!