Valentine’s Day Math Centers for Fifth-Grade
Are you looking for ways to incorporate Valentine’s Day in the math classroom? Well, look no further. I have got some great ideas for you!
Do you want to start incorporating a Valentine’s Day theme into your classroom right away? Grab this Valentines Day Word Problem CUBES FREEBIE!
When preparing for any holiday in the classroom, I love incorporating math center activities that pull in the themes of the holiday. As any teacher knows, the kiddos get a little antsy anytime a holiday is on the horizon so working in a little “get up and move time” is never a bad idea. Hands-on activities that cover skills we are learning or review skills that we have learned are my favorite way to ensure that students are both learning and having fun. Since chattiness tends to prevail during the holidays, I like to embrace that and allow them to work in partners or groups for as many of the centers as possible. A little light holiday math chatter is a welcome sound in my classroom!
Adding, Subtracting & Multiplying Decimals on Valentine’s Day
I love having students practice concepts that apply to the real world and since adding, subtracting, and multiplying decimals are all in the fifth-grade math standards, this is one of my go-to holiday activities and I have a version of this center for many different fifth-grade math standards. Honestly, the students love practicing these skills when they get to go “shopping” and it’s so much fun to see what they “buy.” When students come to this math center, they choose which items they’d like to buy and decide how many they will purchase. Then, they add up their total. Finally, they work to find out how much money they have leftover by subtracting the amount they spent from their total spending money allowance. If they spent too much, they will have to choose which items to return and then recalculate. The students get so into this activity that they forget that they are learning and the best part is…this is a skill that is so important in their real lives.
In Love With Fractions: Adding, Subtracting, and Multiplying Fractions
In this center, we review the addition and subtraction of fractions with like and unlike denominators. Students can extend their skills and use multiplication of fractions (or repeated addition) as they solve problems that go along with Valentine’s Day cake contest. They love the cute theme and I love how it, again, applies to their real lives. They can see the direct connection between this worksheet and their time in the kitchen helping bake cookies or make bread. This activity can be done with pretty much any recipe – but I love a good themed worksheet and so – here we are.
Computer Station
Since many of us have access to devices in our classroom, this center is usually part of the rotation. I like to change what activity students are working on depending on the skill we are learning, but right now Boom Cards are our fave. Students love the cute themes and I love how they provide students (and me!) with quick in-the-moment feedback about progress and mastery. If you’ve never checked out Boom Cards I highly recommend them! They are amazing.
(Want to know more about what Boom Cards are and how to use them? Check out this blog post!)
And that’s it! My favorite ways to spruce up Valentine’s Day in my fifth-grade math classroom!
Hey there! Do you want to start incorporating a Valentine’s Day theme into your classroom right away? Grab this Valentines Day Word Problem CUBES FREEBIE!
xo, Kristin
