Math centers are such a great classroom management tool to use in your first-grade classroom! They give students a purposeful activity to review and practice math skills in a fun way. Best of all, it provides an opportunity for you to work with small groups or individuals while students are engaging with the math centers.
Today, I’m sharing 10 first grade math centers to use in the classroom this spring!
Spring Addition Centers
This is such a simple math center and a great way to practice adding three numbers! Students each get and game board. They take turns rolling 3 dice and covering the matching sum on their board. You can have them try to cover three in a row or try to cover all of the spaces. Make it even more fun by adding spring themed counters for students to cover the spaces.
First graders will practice addition with sums from 10-20 with this flip and cover game. Each student has their own game board. They take turns flipping over an addition fact and covering the matching sums. It’s a great activity to work on fact fluency! Students will want to play again and again!
Balancing equations is such a tricky math skill in first grade! Use this memory game to practice balancing addition equations. Students flip over two cards and find the sums. They lay out their matches with an equal sign in the middle.
Place Value Math Centers for Spring
Practice identifying and representing numbers from 100-120 with this gnome-themed card game. The game is played like “Go Fish!” Each player starts with five cards. Student take turns asking each other for numbers. If they have a match, they must give it to the person who asked. Otherwise, the player draws a card. The goal of the game is to be the first player to match all of their cards and lay them down.
Students practice subtracting multiples of ten with this math center. They take turns flipping over a card, determining the difference, and moving to the closest spot on the board with the matching difference. Each time students pass the flower they grab a counter. They try to be the student with the most counters at the end of the activity. I love that each student gets their own little gameboard to use in this game.
This mud pie math center provides practice in adding a 2-digit and 1-digit number. Students will also practice regrouping by circling groups of ten. I recommend laminating the cards so students can circle with dry-erase markers. They record the answers on the matching recording sheet.
Measurement, Geometry, and Fractions
Your class will love measuring at the bunny bakery! Students use a ruler to measure a variety of bakery themed pictures to the nearest inch. You can easily assess students understanding with the matching recording sheet.
Practice time to the hour and half-hour with these Easter themed math puzzles. Students match the analog clocks to the digital clocks. If they match them correctly, they’ll see a cute picture. I love the built in self-correcting feature of puzzles. Your students will be able to easily tell if they have made any mistakes, because the pictures won’t look right! This math center includes 4 telling time puzzles.
Determine number of equal shares with this set of task cards. This activity also works great as a write the room center. Students look at the fraction pictures and record the number of equal shares.
Write and wipe mats are one of my favorite activities for math centers in the classroom! With this activity, students will practice identifying and writing the names of three-dimensional shapes. They will also practice determining which shapes can stack, slide, and roll. If possible, add shape blocks to the center for students to explore.
Want to learn more about these spring math centers?
Want to learn even more about using math centers in your classroom? Check out this post for ideas for organizing your math centers.
