Earlier today I posted Black Friday Amazon deals for Math Games. This post is for Black Friday deals on math toys. My post Toys For Developing Mathematical Thinking tells you more about toys and math manipulatives I recommend for parents ...
I mentioned in a previous post that I had three favorite sessions when I attended the Conference for the Advancement of Math Teaching this summer. Two were sessions I went in to the conference excited about (Kim Sutton of Creative ...
Numberblocks is a BBC show currently available on Netflix. (Many of the 5 minute episodes also are on YouTube.) This show is a fantastic resource for teaching number sense in a very fun and creative way. I had heard about ...
One of the most important tools that I use for math instruction at any elementary and even middle school level is the life sized number line. For more on uses of the number line in general in grades K-5 (including ...
Digi-Blocks Digi-Blocks are manipulatives which are an alternative to traditional base 10 blocks. They are used in the same way to model place value, but Digi-Blocks are based on a nested design, meaning that all of the blocks pack into ...
Remember making angles with cardstock and brads to teach acute, obtuse and right angles? I did it with students just last year. Then I learned about AngLegs, adjustable angle manipulatives made from colored plastic that can snap together, extend and ...
According to domino.com, there are 13 distinct types of dominoes! I use several of these for math instruction. We play games, do hands on activities, read a great book, and even learn about amazing domino art. Also included in this ...
Not only is using Legos in math class a way to build spatial and proportional awareness and develop creativity, but many math concepts can be explicitly taught using Legos. Multiplication and Division With Legos Hands On Activity: building a 3D ...
Fraction tiles, also called fraction bars or fraction strips, are the single most important manipulative you can have for teaching fractions. They are brightly colored plastic rectangles that represent a whole, halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, eighths, tenths, and twelfths. ...
The number balance is a math manipulative that I had never used or even seen for many years that is now one of my and my students’ favorites. It is very versatile in that all ages from preschoolers to middle ...
While many manipulatives I write about have not been used before by most of my students, traditional pattern blocks are pretty ubiquitous in preschool and early elementary classrooms. However, many teachers don’t know about the pattern block variations and additions ...
Square tiles are one of the most simple and versatile math manipulatives you can have in your classroom. They are one inch colored plastic squares. In the resources section below I will also link virtual versions for use on the ...
Picture from Amazon Pentominoes are a good math manipulative that students of any age can use with a wide range of application as they increase their understanding of math. Even preschoolers enjoy playing with the brightly colored plastic pieces and ...
If I were to choose only one manipulative to have in the elementary school classroom, I would choose Cuisenaire Rods (or integer blocks such as Mortensen or Math U See that are based on the same concept). And yet most ...
Why should you use manipulatives for teaching math to all students, not just struggling ones? Studies show that elementary children develop meaningful understanding of mathematical concepts when manipulative materials are used. Jean Piaget, one of the first psychologists to study ...
If I could only buy one toy this would be it! These are incredibly versatile building materials where 2D geometric shapes easily connect to make 3D shapes because of the high quality neodymium  magnets they contain within colorful plastic.  They ...