Thankful for Math Games

What does your classroom look like during your math block?  No, really.  Stop and think about it for a moment.

Are your children quietly working on a printable worksheet or consumable workbook?  Do they get excited for math, or are they just going with the flow?

I’ll share that in my classroom math is loud, its collaborative, and its FUN!  The children look forward to math because I utilize math centers that encourage collaboration, thinking, and critical mathematic concept development.  They think it’s fun and games, and I KNOW we are developing critical math skills.

And now we have games with a Thanksgiving flair!

While everyone’s favorite dollar spot didn’t have any Thanksgiving erasers, I found these fun Thanksgiving-inspired manipulatives from [Oriental Trading].  Throw in some Dollar Tree storage containers and we’re ready to go!  (Don’t worry if you don’t have any Thanksgiving-inspired counters for these games – there are counters included that can be printed and laminated)

Shape Voyage is a game designed to be played with a partner or small group.  Children take turns rolling a die, identifying which 2D shape that number corresponds to using the key at the top of the mat (ex: a 2 would be a circle), and then moving to the next depiction of that shape in the real world.  I LOVE that this game gives children the chance to identify real objects that are a given shape!

Thankful Numbers is a fun single or multiplayer game and can be either cooperative or competitive – you choose!  This game works on that all-important skill of subitizing, or recognizing a given quantity quickly without having to count them

Race to the New World is a game I am so, so, so excited (OK I’m just a little excited here) to have!  This game works on skip counting by 10s to 100.  This is sure to be a great resource for helping kiddos that are struggling or just need a little more practice with skip counting.

Turkey Trot is a fast-paced game where children collect turkeys while practicing addition and subtraction.  Who can race to the finish line with the most turkeys?

Number Harvest is an easily differentiated game that practices one-to-one correspondence with a die, writing numbers 1-12 (6-12 on a card for children who are ready to roll two dice and find a sum), and can introduce the idea of graphing.

Before and After is sure to challenge the little minds in your classroom!  It is designed to be played as a single player, multiplayer cooperative, or multiplayer competitive game.  The children take turns drawing a card and identifying whether they are looking for the number that comes before or after the given number on the card.  They cover the number that is described on the card with a counter.  The first player with four in a row wins!

Looking for more Thanksgiving resources?  Check these out!  Just click the picture to view the listing on TpT!