Hooray for January! I love the beginning of a new month because the kids in my class are SO excited to get new math games!
K-2 teachers around the country are using Centers in a Snap for ready-to-go math games for Centers and my heart is so fun! Not only are these teachers saving time and energy by not running around gathering materials and prepping games, but more importantly, their students are having FUN during Math time while practicing foundational math skills!
Centers in a Snap is simple for you to use: you open the box, make a few cuts, and get your kiddos going on standards-based games. Oh, and did I mention that EVERYTHING you need for the games is included in the box so you don’t need to run around a find anything?! Amazing, right?
I’ve created three different math boxes to choose from each month: Kindergarten Math Games, 1st Grade Math Games, and 2nd Grade Math Games.
Every game is designed to be skill-appropriate for the current month using a fun Winter Theme!
Read on to take a peek at a few of the games included in January’s Centers in a Snap games!
Game Directions
Every game includes written directions which also have a QR code. If your student scans the QR code, I show them how to play it so you don’t have to! Can you imagine not needing to repeat the directions? Amazing, right?
Materials for each game and step-by-step directions are included on the directions. The best part is that if they ever forget how to play a game, they can simply scan the QR code and watch it again!
January Games
Read on to take a peek at a few of January Math Games!
All of the pictures below are from the first-grade box. However, I’ve included notes below each game to show how the different versions vary slightly.
Frosty Fact Families
Frosty Fact Families is all about…well, fact families! With this interactive game, students will spin the spinner and create four math problems using the two numbers they spin.
Kindergarten: students spin to make tens pairs
2nd Grade: the numbers are slightly larger
Mitten Match Up
It is NEVER too early to start learning how to count coins! In this month’s game, students focus on pennies, nickels, and dimes!
Kindergarten: students count pennies
2nd Grade: students count bills and coins
Polar Bear Plunge
Your student will love the cute polar bears for this game! They’ll use two dice and subtract, then cover the number on the gameboard with a polar bear. First player to use all 5 polar bears wins!
Kindergarten: students focus on subtracting from 10 {using a 10 frame + counters}
2nd Grade: students spin and subtract bigger numbers
Winter Tangrams
This game is SURE to be the favorite of the month! Students will use the 7-piece tangrams to create replicate winter pictures. This is an awesome activity for problem-solving!
Two versions are included in the included digital file – the colored version below, with lines to show students where the different shapes are, as well as a solid color set {which makes it a bit more challenging!}
Kindergarten: same pictures as first grade
2nd Grade: the pictures are outlined in one color
Snowy Sums
Snowy Sums focuses on true and false equations. Students roll the die, pick a problem in the column and determine if it’s true or false. If they answer correctly, they can cover that box with a snowflake.
The first player to cover a column with on his/her gameboard with the snowflakes is the winner!
Kindergarten: numbers to 10
2nd Grade: larger sums
Snowball Fight
This game focuses on finding missing addends – a skill that we always need extra practice with!
On his/her turn, the student pulls a card from the pile and determines the number needed to make the equation true. The first player to cover all of his/her numbers with the pom-pom snowballs is the winner!
Kindergarten: simple sums
2nd Grade: bigger numbers
What games will your students love playing this month? Don’t forget – there are six more games included for January, too!
Want to try out a January game? Enter your info below to grab a sample!
Don’t wait to sign up for Centers in a Snap! There are only a limited number of boxes each month and you don’t want to miss out on saving yourself time and giving your students fun!
If you’re using the digital version of Centers in a Snap, you can find the materials included in the box here.
Want to see how I manage the games? Go read this blog post!
