What to Do In Math Class the Days Before Break?
Here are my best Grades 3-8 ideas for non-curricular but mathy things to do before Winter Break!
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe- simple but with more strategy than the original. This is what I did with my 7th graders the day before break last year. Highly recommend!
Draw Ten- no tech and mathy! (and save this one when you need something to help review place value)
5x5 Game- this quickly has become a classic shared by Sara Van Der Werf on her blog.
Holiday Themed Games and Puzzles from MathEqualsLove. (I prefer to chose the winter-themed and stay away from specific holidays that might or might not be celebrated by all students.)
Snowflakes! Did you know that all snowflakes have 6 sides? Watch this TedED video explaining it. Play with this interactive snowflake maker on Desmos. Then create your own (mathematically correct) paper snowflakes!
Build a winter scene or build a snowman in Desmos.
Skyscraper Puzzles- print the templates and give kids some blocks (unifix cubes work great)
This one keeps kids interested for a bit. It’s not super mathy and also not winter-themed. But sharing anyway, because sometimes you just need something like this Hit the Target game in Desmos.
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Links above go to some great resources and blogs. Credit for activities and ideas to Ben Orlin, Annie Forest, Sara Van Der Werf, Sarah Carter, Steve Phelps, David Poras, Jennifer Vadnais, Mark Chubb, and Jay Chow.