Math Center Ideas for Third Grade
Third graders really enjoy math centers. Centers give them a fun way to practice all the new material that they are learning as well as give teachers a chance to work with small groups of students. Third graders are also responsible enough to follow directions independently and manage centers without a lot of supervision.
-
Dice Center
-
Students can play Race Dice alone or with a partner. Students can try to get to 0, 100 or 1000 by subtracting, adding or multiplying. For example, a student rolls the dice and adds the two numbers together (which must be written down), and continues to do so until she reaches 100. Students are not allowed to go over, either. The same thing can be done by starting at 100 and subtracting each roll of the dice. Or students can multiply the dice numbers to get to 1000. Students who are behind in math can use smaller numbers or only one die.
Index Card Center
-
Students can play Memory or do flashcards with a partner. While there are commercially made versions of Memory and of flashcards, students or teachers can use index cards to make Memory cards or flashcards directly related to exactly what third graders are currently working on. Students can play Memory (where cards are laid face down in rows and the object is to pick up two that match during your turn) with geometry vocabulary, addition facts, subtraction facts, multiplication facts, division facts, three dimensional shapes and so on. Students or teachers can make up flashcards the same way.
Word Problems
-
Students at this center can write and can solve word problems. Students love writing their own problems. At this center they can trade with a partner or, if you want to look over problems first, turn in a problem they've created and a different problem that they've solved.
-
