Math Work Stations

My kids LOVE math work stations, and so do I! There's nothing better than seeing my students engaged in authentic and meaningful hands-on learning. Many of my ideas have come from Debbie Diller and from other fantastic bloggers! I will be posting new ideas and printables as often as I can.

I have ten math centers in my classroom. Centers one through nine are our math tubs and the tenth center is the computer center. Pictures of my management board coming soon. 

Math Tubs

We have nine math tubs which I change every two weeks or so. The tubs are labeled by number (1-9) to correspond to my centers rotation chart. Here are some of the recent activities we've done in our classroom.




Roll & Cover Games - These games promote counting and one-to-one correspondence. The kids roll a die and then add that number of objects to their board. The first person to fill their board wins. I have created many of these, which I will be posting separately.

Ice Cube Tray Patterns - This station provides fine-motor practice as well as patterning. The kids use tweezers and pompoms to make patterns in ice cube trays. 

Sock Sorting - We read "A Pair of Socks" and then the kids sorted socks at this literature-based center. They sorted by color, pattern, and size.

Sort & Paste - I use shape punches to cut out a variety of shapes in different colors. The kids sort and glue them onto a sorting mat. They can choose to sort by shape or color. Here is my Sorting Mat.

Numeral Writing - At this center, the kids use Expo markers and Giant Tracing Numbers from Lakeshore to practice numeral writing. Then they create their own Number Books.

Counting - This center changes monthly to correspond to the season. First the kids lay out the numbers in order from 0-10, then they count the correct number of objects for each. Here, the children are counting fall leaves in baskets. 

Hundreds Boards - The kids fill in the hundreds board with number tiles and then fill in the Blank Hundreds Chart (from What the Teacher Wants).









Board Games - These fun games promote one-to-one correspondence and counting. Games like Chutes and Ladders are great for this center. I have also made a few boards of my own. Click here for my Stars Game Board.

This cute Frog Board Game is from Lakeshore.








Guess My Shape - One child chooses a 3-D shape while the partner wears a blindfold. Then the partner feels the shape and guesses the shape. If you don't have a blindfold, you can make a "Feely Box" (shoe box with a hole in the side). Encourage "Math Talk" by having the children describe the shape as they feel it.

Fishing for Numbers - The kids use "fishing poles" to fish for numbers. For each catch, they record the number on a recording sheet and draw a picture to show that many. Later in the year, they will catch two fish and add the numbers together. Lakeshore has a cute Number Fishing Set.

Computer Center 

Here the children visit More Starfall, which provides practice with numbers and counting, as well as addition and subtraction.