Middle school math classroom games

You can read more tips and tricks for using QR Codes in this blog post. I have to admit that the first time I saw paper chains I thought they looked silly and like a waste of time. My mind quickly changed, however. Right now my 7th graders are trying to get their paper chain to go around our entire common area in our building.

Every time we complete a paper chain activity, we add it to the huge paper chain out in the common area. We are about a quarter of the way around the room. Cootie catchers in the math classroom? It can be done as a person versus person game. Or, you can use the cootie catcher as an individual activity. This adds a little novelty and get some kids more involved than if the same questions were just on a worksheet.

Show down is a great small group game to practice any math concept. To play show down, you just need a set of questions or task cards. Have students get into groups of 4 and give each student a whiteboard. The group turns over one question and all students do the work.

When everyone is done with the problem, you flip the card over to reveal the answer. Everyone with the right answer gets a point. Also, students can talk about their answers before or after they have seen the answer. This game works as a way to get students talking about math. We play knockout games a lot in my classroom throughout the year. I love them for a review game because everyone is engaged and I can work through problems with them in a game environment. Between the competition and the fun graphics, students are more keyed into solving math problems and understanding the explanations.

A student chooses one of them. Then, a question in shown and all the students work it out on their paper or whiteboard. I use whiteboards a lot, so when students finish they show me their work. Next, the answer is revealed in the screen and students who got it right get the points. There are some bonuses and students really like that part because the bonuses can be good or bad.

This game is a great way to review. Your students will love it. To read more about this game, and see a video walk-through, check out this post. Plus, check out all our Knockout games for middle school math here.

I use Jeopardy games in my class a couple times a year. With Jeopardy the questions are organized into different categories, and I like that aspect of it. Instead, we all play the same questions and students either work in partners or individually. Then, students keep track of their points. Jeopardy is a classic review game that can help mix things up in the math classroom.

You can find tons of pre-made Jeopardy math game over on Jeopardy Labs. Task cards have so many different uses for the math classroom. I love playing this target game with the class because it is so easy. To start, I display a task card on the projector for the whole class. Students work on it on their whiteboards. We go over the answer and then I choose a student to throw a suction cup ball at the target I have drawn on the board to find out how many points the questions is worth to the class.

After a few rounds, we play double or nothing. The students can throw it a second time to try and get double points. All the students who got the answer right get the points that the student who threw the ball landed on. They really get into it and it gives us a chance to practice sportsmanship skills, as well.

You can check out even more ideas for using task cards in the middle school math classroom here. And read more about the target game here. Kahoot is a whole class, web-based game. You make an account and then you can either find games that others have created or you can make your own games.

Students each need their own electronic device and they can play along. They just go to the website and enter the game code. After each question students see a leader board and can see how they are doing. To play SCOOT, place a task card on each desk and then give students 1 minute or so to finish the card.

Then, everyone scoots to the next seat. But it does get the kids moving. The movement and small time frames encourage everyone to complete the problems. Also, I have the answers on the back of the task cards so students can check and see how they did. If they got a problem wrong, I ask them to look back and figure out their mistake. Focusing on learning from mistakes is a way to encourage growth mindset and help students own their learning.

This classic game shares a lot of the same characteristics with the other whole class games that I have shared here. Draw the roof on paper, decorate it any way you please, and cut it out. Afterward, write the roof area on it. The body of your house is a rectangle, which you can create with any dimensions you please and glue it to the roof.

Children are bound to enjoy the visual representation of their efforts in a joint way. Thus, the activity not only helps practice cone area but helps build a sense of community in your class. Bingo is always an exciting game to introduce math concepts. Use this bingo game to practice calculating the area and circumference of circles. Children should be familiar with the corresponding formulas for finding the area and circumference in advance, i. Create a set of question cards and a set of unique bingo cards adjust the exact number according to the number of students in your class.

The question cards contain circle area and circumference questions, whereas the unique bingo cards are cards with answers. Bring a number of markers, as well. And lastly, on our math activities for middle school list we have the escape room game. Instead, you simply bring a large lockbox in the classroom and create a captivating narrative around it.

If you need ideas for what to put inside the box, you can include different types of prizes, such as chocolate, candy, etc. Afterwards, create cards with different math problems, such as multiplying and dividing negative numbers. Make sure to also create a narrative around the escape room in advance. The only ones that can reverse the spell are you, the last remaining wizards on earth.

However, the witch has locked all of your potions in a box! This article outlined 13 math activities for middle school incorporating a broad range of math concepts. From teaching about decimals, fractions, and percentages through competitive games and movement to proving the Pythagorean theorem by drawing, these math activities for middle school are guaranteed to make your math lessons a stimulating and enjoyable experience for your students.

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Print off the clues and place them around your school or home and send your students off on a percentage scavenger hunt.

Percentage Scavenger Hunt. Give students the chance to apply their understanding of ratio to a real-life situation — scaling up a baking recipe. If you really want to go the extra mile, why not try out the recipe for real and make some delicious cookies! Ratio and Baking. Children can learn how to graph distance each time they fly their paper airplanes. This activity requires little preparation, but it is a great way to engage your students. Paper Airplane Graphs.

A great activity to practice math skills while learning about fascinating science concepts. A Trip to the Moon. Students can use this interactive game to explore how objects behave when they are rotated around a centralized point. Rotational Symmetry. A great opportunity for students to enhance their maths and art skills. Frank Stella Protractor Artwork. Students can learn the power of doubling through this story. After reading, encourage your students to think about how they could use the power of doubling to get more pocket money!

Let your students apply their creativity in this activity. Students will design and produce their very own comic before learning learn how to scale it up or down to fit a frame. Scale a Comic. Learn different techniques to create amazing tessellation artwork using rotation, reflection, and translation. Tessellation Project.

Fed up of always drawing triangles to learn about Pythagoras? Then, check out this activity - students will use Lego pieces to prove Pythagoras theorem!