Have you ever heard the dreaded sigh or seen the shaking of student’s heads when you mention you will be practicing word problems for math that day? As an upper elementary teacher, I heard that dreaded sigh or even the look of defeat way too often in my classroom. I knew something needed to change! So, I took some classic games that my students loved and turned them into word problem activities. Now, I rarely hear that dreaded sigh because my students are excited about our word problem activities.
Check out my top 5 engaging word problem activities and see different ways you can use them in your classroom right now! Click on the picture to check it out.
- Tic-Tac-Math: My students love anything that is turned into a game! So, I took the classic Tic-Tac-Toe game and turned it into a word problem game that is now a student favorite. Students solve word problems correctly to mark an X or O on the tic-tac-toe board. A simple game that is an easy early finisher activity and math center or rotation that you can use all year long
- Math Tales: Did you play Mad Libs as a kid? I LOVED Mad Libs and wanted to bring a version of this into my classroom. So, I created Math Tales word problems in the same format. Students start by filling in the blanks on their Math Tale and then solve the word problem that they created. I love to use this as a math center or rotation because students can start by solving their problem and then trade Math Tales with another students and solve one another. It is a great way for them to check if they solved it correctly and they love being able to create their own word problems!
- Math Jeopardy: This is by far my student’s favorite word problem review game! My students are always begging me to play this before a unit test or when are reviewing before a big state test. This is great way to review word problems on the skill you are teaching and see who is ready for the test. My biggest tip for using Jeopardy in your classroom is to have students solve the problem on their own for a minute and then talk with their group to see what the correct answer is for the problem.
- Math Escape Rooms: Engagement high right here! This is one of those games that my students forget that they are actually working on word problems because they are having so much fun. I love to use these as review right before a holiday when engaging students is tough or when we need a little extra word problem practice throughout the year. Trust me, your students will be SO excited if you tell them that you are doing an escape room for word problem practice that day!
- Word Problem Wednesday: Are you looking for a variety of different word problem games and activities that include all the word problems you need? THIS IS IT! Word Problem Wednesday is a great way to bring extra word problems into your classroom in a game format. On Wednesdays, I would bring out a new Word Problem Wednesday game or activity for my students to practice word problems. My students LOVED guessing what activity we would do next and I even let them vote some weeks on which activity they would like to do. Currently, this is only available for 4th grade, BUT I have a 3rd grade version coming out sometime Fall 2022.
Do you think your students will still sigh when you bring out these word problem activities? I don’t think so, or at least my students did not! I would love to give you a chance to try out 2 of these activities! Click on the button below to try out my Tic-Tac-Product game and one of the Word Problem Wednesday activities.
