12 Fun Math Center Activities That Will Engage Your Class ALL Year! (Free File)

Kindergarten Math Centers, Activities, and a freebie file too! These ideas will engage your class all year long. 

Why do math centers?

Why do we even do math centers?  First of all… they are fun!  The bonus is the learning and practice that takes place.  We, as teachers, also need moments in the day when students work independently so we can work with small groups.

Let me show you 12 kindergarten math center activities that will engage your class all year.   By keeping these tasks the same (but switching up the materials they are working with) you can truly help your students work independently.  You won’t need to explain these activities over and over, because they will already know them!  Easy!

Kindergarten Math Centers #1:  Roll and Color

We start this math center early in the year by using a simple die.  Then as the year progresses we add an addition or subtraction twist to it!  Because the theme is always changing, my class always gets excited when they see this activity in the math center tub.

Kindergarten Math Centers #2:  BUMP

This is a class favorite.  Once they learn how to play (in early September) we are ready to rock those math skills!  This is a game that we introduce as a whole group activity.  I divide the class into teams and we have a quick game of BUMP.  After a few days of playing this math center, my students are eager to see it in a math center tub.  We use it for subitizing, addition, and composing/decomposing teen numbers.

Kindergarten Math Centers #3:  Roll and Trace Games

Again… we start with a single die, then move up to adding 3 dice together!  Sidenote:  This student did not have a partner to play with, so she played with my dog, Dexter (who has never actually been to school…EVER!).

Kindergarten Math Centers #4:  Sorting Cards

Students put these cards in numerical order.  At the beginning of the year, we start with numbers within 6, then move up to 20!  TIP:  Using frosting tubs help keep the cards together and students do not have to spend time getting the cards ready to play.

Kindergarten Math Centers #5:  Comparing numbers

We use the same cards to play a comparing numbers game!  

Kindergarten Math Centers #6:  Measurement

In this math center activity, students practice measuring, counting, and recording the lengths of thematic images.

Kindergarten Math Centers #7:  Data

Students spin the spinner and record the data in this math center!  Simple… FUN!

Kindergarten Math Centers #8:  Skip Counting

This activity is called coin collector.  We start working with pennies, then work our way up to nickels and dimes!

Math Centers 1-8 are all part of my Math Work Station files.  You can see that HERE.

Kindergarten Math Centers #9:  Dough Center

Lots of different skills are practiced at this center!  As you can see, we can start these kindergarten math center activities very early in the year with working with numbers 1 to 5.  Then we build upon that!  You can read more about this center and find a few dough recipes in my blog post:  Playdough Recipe Roundup

You can find these activities in my Dough Center Packet.

Kindergarten Math Centers # 10:  Puzzles

Puzzles are so easy to add to stations or centers because students already know how to work with puzzles. I organize the puzzles into binders which helps to keep things from becoming a nightmare fast.   These kindergarten math center activities are well-loved and they are easy to differentiate!  You can read more about how I have them organized by clicking on this blog post:  Centers Organizing Classroom Puzzles

You can find these activities as part of my Puzzles Center Packet.

Kindergarten Math Centers #11:  Math Fluency Game

Again, once they know how to play this game, the beg to play it again and again.  We start with simple subitizing type cards and move up to addition and subtraction as the year continues.  This is a game where students of different ability levels can play at the same time together.  You simply offer two different stacks of cards.

You can find all of these game variations in my Math Fluency Packet.

Kindergarten Math Centers #12:  Roll, Say, Keep!

My students play this game for letters and sounds… why not add a math version!

You can find this more Roll, Say, Keep games for math by clicking HERE.

There you have it! 12 kindergarten math center activities that will keep your kiddos happy (and you sane)!

You may be interested in these center related posts:

• 15 Fun Ideas to Teach Sight Words (with a free file)
• 10 Simple Literacy Stations that Will Last You ALL Year!
• Top Tips for Center and Station Management

FREE File

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