Activities
Math manipulatives, including plastic cubes, are a key component of any elementary math curriculum. Plastic math cubes give students a hands-on way to practice many different concepts presented in the classroom. When students are given the chance to practice math skills in a hands-on way, they are more likely to enjoy math and understand and retain new and increasingly complex concepts. Math cubes are an easy way to incorporate hands-on practice in your classroom. Here are ten ways to get you started.
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1. Show how adding and subtracting works
One of the easiest ways to incorporate math cubes into your classroom is to use them for adding and subtracting. Your visual learners will especially benefit from this activity!
Provide your students a pile of cubes in two different colors. Give them a selection of addition or subtraction problems and have them use the cubes to represent the problem and find the answer. For example, for the math problem 6+2, your students could put six blue cubes in one pile and two yellow cubes in another pile. Then they can count both piles to discover that the answer is eight. Older students can use a variety of colors to do a similar activity for simple multiplication and division problems.
2. Introduce inequalities
The ability to identify which number is greater than or less than is an essential building block skill students will need for their entire school career. Math cubes are a fun way for students to learn to visualize less than and greater than. Have your students build two towers of cubes in two different colors. Then have them point to the one that is less and then the one that is greater. Older students can use the classic inequality symbols as they complete this activity.
3. Balance cubes to explain equality
Weighing items on a balance to see which is heavier and which is lighter is another important great way to use manipulatives to learn math. Break out your classroom balance and ask your students to place varied numbers of cubes on each side of the balance. Discuss why more or less cubes on one side causes the balance to tip one way or the other. Demonstrate the concept of equal numbers to students by placing the same number of cubes on each side to balance the scale.
4. Use math cubes to practice patterns
Students love to find patterns in everyday life, and colorful math cubes are a terrific way to encourage the use and creation of patterns. Ahead of time, create several pattern cards in a variety of difficulties. Provide students with math cubes and have them replicate the patterns on the cards. As students become proficient at copying patterns, you can increase the difficulty by asking students to create their own patterns to share with the class.
5. Teach measuring skills
Before students learn how to measure items using a ruler, they learn how to measure using nonstandard units, such as math cubes. Give your students a variety of items, such as school supplies or small toys, and a pile of math cubes. Show them how to line the cubes up touching one another to measure how long each item is. Extend the activity by having students share which items are longest, which are shortest, and which are equal, or have them measure each other to see how many cubes tall they are.
6. Practice putting random numbers in order
Gather several math cubes and a sheet of small stickers. Write a series of random numbers on the stickers and stick one to each cube. Give your students four or five cubes and have them put them in order from least to greatest. Younger students can use one or two-digit numbers while older students can order three or four-digit numbers. This activity would also be fun when you teach skip counting.
7. Demonstrate graphing concepts
When students snap together their math cubes, the towers become the perfect way to create bar graphs! Give your students several colors of cubes and recording sheet. Ask them to count each color of cubes and create a bar for each color. Then have them represent their data by coloring in a blank bar graph. End the lesson by asking students to identify which color had the most and the least. You can also create addition problems by asking them how many of two colors all together they have.
8. Separate tens and ones
Counting is so much quicker and easier when students can make groups of tens and groups of ones. Provide students with a large pile of math cubes in two assorted colors. Have them make groups of ten and snap them together into towers. Then have them make a group of the leftover cubes. Then ask your students to figure out how many cubes they have by counting the tens and then adding the ones. Have the kids switch piles of cubes and repeat the activity.
9. Make a ten
Early elementary teachers spend a good deal of time on teaching students to make and find a ten. Give your students two colors of cubes and challenge them to come with as many ways to get to ten as they can. When students can make a ten, they will also be able to complete number bonds and memorize addition facts with a sum of ten. When students are masters at finding a ten, they will be able to successfully work with larger numbers as they get older.
10. Introduce fractions
With several colors of math cubes, you’ll be able to teach simple fractions to your students. Ask the kids to snap together six cubes in the same color. Then have them make several other towers of six and then break them apart to show one-half, one-third, and one-sixth. Repeat the activity with different towers, such as four or ten.
Plastic math cubes are cheap and easy to find, and they hold so much potential for introducing and reinforcing math concepts. As a bonus, your students will love “playing” during math class!
