Great Math Activities During Distance Learning

This Post has 7 Free Resources!

Distance learning has been a struggle for everyone; parents, teachers, and students.

One struggle we teachers keep facing is trying to find engaging activities to do with our students during these times. We want the education to continue without overwhelming them or their parents.

Plus we want to still make connections with our students despite not being in the classroom.

So here’s 5 fun, engaging activities you can do with your students to help improve their distance learning experience.

STOCK MARKET PROJECT

What a great opportunity to teach about how the real world works, and get your students engaged. Right now, the stock market is falling – but some stocks are doing really well (like Amazon).

This is a great activity that can be done at home, it’s very difficult to cheat on, and will make great connections to what’s actually happening.

Learn how to set up your own stock market project here.

SHARK TANK

I love showing my students episodes of Shark Tank when we’re in the classroom. There fun, engaging, and full of math – plus the real-world application opportunities are phenomenal.

But during distant learning, you can assign students something on TV to watch, and then have them reflect on the episode and complete the math assignments. I recommend having them watch one segment (usually 10-20 minutes). You can assign the segment on ABC’s website (don’t look for them on YouTube, the show removes all YouTube clips quickly.)

Learn more about how to use Shark Tank episodes as a teaching tool here.

Teacher Tip – preview the segment before assigning. Sometimes the content is related to wine, bathing suits, or other content you may not want to have your students discussing. The show is always made for TV and family viewing, but still show some caution and preview the segments before assigning.

MYSTERY PICTURES

Mystery pictures are a great way for students to practice a skill and get immediate feedback. Plus, it’s hard to cheat, and students generally don’t want to because they like seeing the image appear.

Here are some great mystery pictures for plotting points on a coordinate plane.

Get the shark one for free by clicking here

Here are some color by numbers images for

MATH PUZZLES

Believe it or not, everyone likes being challenged. These math puzzles are fun to do and can be solved by almost every age group.

Assign one a day to increase engagement.

These are great activities for Zoom meetings with your students

Here’s a free one, the Four 4’s challenge.

Click here to preview 15 math puzzles

LOGIC PUZZLES

These word puzzles involve critical thinking skills and problem-solving to deduce the correct order of a sequence. They are fun and a great assignment to do with students of any age.

Students can solve them independently, or work together to solve.

Another great activity to do during a Zoom conference.

Here’s a free one

Here’s 10 logic puzzles

Equation Dice Game

Good for students of all ages. This game helps students understand equations and the equal sign. It’s fun to play, and can be done with just two dice and a sheet of paper.

Students can play against each other, long distance, during a Zoom or Skype conference.

Learn how to play, plus see the free tutorial video at the link below.

How to Help Students Struggling with the Equal Sign

BONUS: Random Acts of Kindness Challenge

I’ve been challenging students at my school to participate in Random Acts of Kindness while practicing social distancing. Learn more at the link below, plus download the free poster to give your students to help encourage them to share the love.

Random Acts of Kindness Challenge – while still social distancing