Valentine’s Day is a special time for children to show their love and affection for their friends and family. Students may not feel the love in the air, so let them see it! When playing Valentines math games, using resources filled with lots of love elements can make a difference in how students perceive and engage with the material.
In addition, by using math resources that are filled with lots of love elements, you can create an inclusive and engaging environment for all students during Valentine’s Day.
In this blog post, I will introduce 3 valentines math games and activities that your kids will love this Valentine’s Day.
These games are newly released, so there is a high chance your kids haven’t tried them out before. Surprise them and make math lessons interesting in February 2023!
And, consider those tips and extension ideas as they add an extra layer of engagement and fun to the game, making it an exciting and interactive activity for students.
Independent Games
Independent games are games that let students practice basic math skills while playing by themselves, without any competition with their peers.
And when I say play, I mean it!
These Valentines math games are all about students competing with themselves to determine the winning team. So, if you’ve got some super competitive students and want to avoid any friction, independent games are the way to go. Plus, they’re perfect for students who prefer to work alone and at their own pace, or who need a quiet environment to improve their math skills.
And let’s not forget the added bonus of using dice or spinners with paper clip, which means luck is definitely a factor in these games.
Plus, these fun math games are engaging, which helps keep your students motivated and interested.
This resource is also perfect for early finishers, home educator, or homeschooling parents.
You can play 24 independent games with this bundle and save 20% off.
Key Features:
✅12 addition of four digit numbers with regrouping games
✅12 subtraction of four digit numbers with regrouping games
✅Answer Key provided for easy checking
✅Colored and Black & White
✅Digital Option: Easel
✅Fun & Engaging
✅No Prep!
Tips For Using Independent Games
When there are two teams, you can arrange different presents for each winning team. However, there are pros and cons to letting the students know what the prizes are in advance.
Pros
Students will have something to look forward to and maybe more motivated as they have a team they are cheering on for.
Cons
Once the student is biased, they may “cheat” so that the team they prefer will win. And since one of the purposes of independent games is to free you from seating beside them, it is hard to avoid cheating.
Personally, it’s recommended that the rewards remain unknown until after the winning team is announced. You can prepare the prizes in advance and reveal them to the students afterward.
Another option is to prepare two different piles of scraps of paper with different rewards written on them. If team A wins, the students get to choose from pile A.
Bingo
Bingo is a classic fun game that is loved by people of all ages, and it can be a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day while practicing rounding off.
6 Bingo Sets of Metric Conversions As Valentines Math Games
1) Rounding off to the nearest 10 (3-digit numbers)
2) Rounding off to the nearest 10 (4-digit numbers)
3) Rounding off to the nearest 100 (4-digit numbers)
4) Rounding off to the nearest 100 (5-digit numbers)
5) Rounding off to the nearest 1 000 (5-digit numbers)
6) Rounding off to the nearest 1 000 (6-digit numbers)
The use of pre-made bingo cards can save time when playing the great game with small groups or pairs.
Alternatively, utilizing cut and paste game board allows for a greater variety of possible card combinations.
In addition, doing hands-on math can also help train their fine motor skills.
There is a variety of ways you can use the gameboards provided:
- Use pre-made gameboards.
- Cut & Paste Bingo: Big empty gameboard + 1st Bingo Gameboard of each rounding set (to act as cut & paste pieces).
- Cut & Paste Bingo: 1 page gameboard with cut & paste pieces & 1 free space in the middle (count towards winning a bingo game).
- Partner game + pre-made gameboards.
- Partner game + cut & paste bingo.
- Use the empty Bingo gamecard for other Bingo games.
Don’t worry, there are teacher’s guides and instructions that provide detailed instructions on how you can use the resources provided.
It’s a great way to review rounding off and make practice more engaging as a group or during math centers.
1st Extension Idea For Valentine’s Day Math Bingo
To make the game more challenging, change the winning criteria from getting one line of 5 boxes to getting 5 lines of 5 boxes.
The winner will receive a grand prize, such as a box of chocolates.
Additionally, for every line a player completes, they will receive a smaller prize, such as chocolates or sweets. For example, if a player completes 3 lines, they will receive 3 sweets. This way, every player will receive at least one small prize, making the game more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.
2nd Extension Idea For Valentine’s Day Math Bingo
To make the game more visually appealing and easier to play, ask students to color in the boxes on their bingo cards. This will help them quickly identify their completed lines and patterns.
Once the game is over, it’s time to find matching partners. Ask students to walk around and see if anyone has the same pattern as them. If a match is found, celebrate by giving the lucky pair a small gift or asking them to be each other’s “guardian angels” for the week. This encourages social interaction among the students.
If there is a successful match, celebrate by giving this lucky pair a small gift, or ask them to be each other “guardian angel” for the week.
If there is no match, ask them to draw a symmetrical pattern.
3rd Extension Idea For Valentine’s Day Math Bingo
To add an element of adventure to the game, combine bingo with a scavenger hunt.
Attach a symbol with each answer and write it on scraps of paper. Then hide them around the room.
Students need to find the answer and write down the corresponding symbol to cross off the box. The first student to cross off a line of items (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) is the winner.
To make the game more challenging, set a time limit for the scavenger hunt and give a bonus point to the student who got the most number of lines of 5 in the least time.
This Valentine’s day math activity adds an element of excitement and adventure to the game, encouraging students to explore and engage with their surroundings while they play.
Mystery Puzzles
If you want to add some fun to rigorous word problem practice this festive, Mystery Puzzles worksheets are perfect for you!
These no-prep Valentine’s day math worksheets provide a unique twist on traditional word problem practice, challenging students to solve 12 problems in order to uncover the mystery.
In Ratio Word Problems Worksheets, with the case of “The Missing Chocolate”, students will become math detectives this Valentine’s day.
They will use their problem-solving skills to solve the word problems. The correct answer of each math problem let students know which clues are correct. Then using these clues, they will be able to cross off the suspects and find the real culprit.
With three different levels and three different culprits, these puzzles are differentiated and perfect for a range of skill levels. And with answer keys and solutions provided, it’s easy for teachers to mark.
So why stick with boring worksheets when you can make math practice a thrilling mystery? Try “The Missing Chocolate” Mystery Puzzles today and keep your students engaged and motivated to learn!
This Valentine’s day worksheets include:
- 1 Case file
- 1 Suspect list
- 3 Clue lists
- 3 Sets of questions
- Printing directions
- Answer key & solution
- Digital option: Easel
Key Features
- Mystery: The Missing Chocolate
- 36 ratio word problems
- 3 Difficulty levels = differentiated
- No Prep
- Fun & Engaging
- Chocolate/Valentine’s DayTheme
- Economical to print: Black & White
- Answer Key & solution provided
- Singapore Primary 6 | 6th Grade & 7th Grade
1st Extension Idea For Mystery Puzzles
Add a fun twist to the game by ending with a surprise scavenger hunt. Keep the scavenger hunt a secret until it’s time to play, to keep students engaged and focused on doing the worksheet.
But, you can hint that you are going to do a related activity after they are done with the worksheets to motivate them.
Once the culprit has been identified, have students search the room to “arrest” the animal. To make it more competitive, consider offering a prize to the first student who catches it.
2nd Extension Idea For Mystery Puzzles
Have students write the statement of the culprit, imagining they are the one who took the chocolate. They should explain the motives and the process of the theft.
Or you can make it into a pair or class discussion.
Here are some prompts:
- Why did the culprit take the chocolate?
- When did the culprit take the chocolate?
- How did the culprit take the chocolate?
- What was the culprit’s plan for the stolen chocolate?
- How did the culprit react when the theft was discovered?
- What was the culprit’s feelings and thoughts during the planning and execution of the theft?
- What would the culprit do differently if given the chance to do it again?
- Is there any misunderstanding?
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to incorporate love into your Valentine’s day math activities and make learning more fun. Themed games help to add some festive touch to your math lesson.
However, you don’t have to restrict the use of these resources to Valentine’s Day. They also align with any love-related holidays, such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Kindness Day, etc., can also apply. Students can enjoy the cute images all year round.
Overall, these three Valentines math games and activities will help children review important math concepts and make math practice more engaging.
Try them out and see how much your kids will enjoy learning math during the holidays!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Related Read: 3 Fun And Famous Math Activities For Valentine’s Day
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