The Only Way to Learn Math? Do the Math!

There’s a quote I recently turned into a poster for our classroom:

“Math is not a spectator sport. The only way to learn math is to do math.”

And let me tell you, it’s so true in first grade.

You can have the cutest anchor charts, the brightest manipulatives, and the cleverest chants and songs...But until kids are actually solving problems by thinking, trying, struggling, doing, they're not really learning math.

Math is often messy! That's a good thing!

Click pic to download. 

🎯 What “Doing Math” Looks Like in First Grade

“Doing math” doesn’t mean sitting quietly and getting everything right. It looks like:

• Kids talking through a strategy with a partner

• Hands-on manipulatives: using counters, fingers, ten frames, etc., and then talking through strategies

• Getting an answer wrong, but being able to explain their thinking

• Drawing several different versions of the same story problem until it clicks

• Hearing “This is hard!” followed by “Ohhh wait, I got it!”

• Working with partners via "games" and learning how to be an ENGAGED partner

• reworking problems over and over again until success

• GRIT

These moments matter more than a perfect worksheet.

My Real-Life Math Moments

Highs:

• When a student who’s been unsure suddenly explains a strategy to a classmate and lights up like a firework

• When math journals are messy—but FULL of thinking

• When they make up their own word problems and giggle at their wild scenarios (I’ve had unicorns eating 7 cupcakes and flying away with 2...)

Lows (but still learning):

• When kids erase their work because it “looks wrong”

• When they give up too quickly and say “I don’t get it!” without even trying

• When a fast finisher calls out the answer and others stop thinking

That’s where I come back to:

“The only way to learn math is to do math.”

I remind my class: Mistakes are part of the process. We don’t watch math. We do math.

 Ideas to Get Kids Doing the Math

Here are some easy, go-to strategies I love:

• Math Journals with open-ended prompts: “Show me 3 ways to make 10.” I'm all about the open-ended questions!

• Partner problem-solving with mini-whiteboards

• Story-based word problems with drawings and labels

• Math talks where kids explain “how they know” even if their answer is wrong. 

• Hands-on games that require thinking, not just speed

• Infusing math into Morning Meeting (I use Which One Doesn't Belong as my activity once a week.)

• Providing kids with "Math Refresher Baggies" so they have other options besides "read a book" when they have a few extra minutes here and there.

None of these are fancy. But they work because kids are engaged.

🪄 Final Thoughts

First grade math shouldn’t feel like a race to get the “right” answer. It should feel like a puzzle to figure out.

If we want our students to truly understand numbers, patterns, and problem-solving… we have to let them wrestle with it, play with it, do it.

So here’s your reminder (and mine!):
Math is not a spectator sport. Let’s give them the time and space to get in the game.

Why 120 Chart Puzzles Belong in Your Math Centers

Looking for a low-prep, high-impact math center that builds number sense, encourages perseverance, and keeps kids engaged? Try120 Chart Puzzles  Such a small-but-mighty math activity that packs in tons of learning with minimal teacher effort.  Very minimal!

✂️ What Are 120 Chart Puzzles?

They’re exactly what they sound like! Take a 120 chart, cut it into pieces, and ask students to reassemble it like a puzzle. You can use a blank 120 chart as a base or let kids build directly on a table or tray.

Just print, laminate if you want, cut, and toss the puzzle pieces into a baggie—and you're DONE. It’s an instant, reusable center that students can work on solo, with a buddy, or in a small group. NOTE: I do not laminate. Instead, I print directly onto construction paper.  Sturdy enough. Just use different colors in case pieces wander about. This way, it will be easy to get the piece back into the right baggie.

🧠 What Skills Do 120 Chart Puzzles Build?

These puzzles do more than just keep early finishers busy. They actually strengthen key number concepts, including:

• Number Sequencing – Kids get constant exposure to counting patterns and one-more/one-less logic.

• Place Value Understanding – Students see how tens and ones interact as they place pieces.

• Number Pattern Recognition – Rows go up by 1s, columns by 10s. The more they build, the more these patterns stick.

• Problem-Solving & Perseverance – Rebuilding a 120 chart isn’t always easy, especially when the pieces are irregular. It encourages stick-to-itiveness!

• Spatial Reasoning – Students have to rotate and flip pieces to find their correct spot.

• Math Talk – These are great for partner work and guided math groups. You’ll hear rich conversations like “This number should be right above 54…” or “There’s a 72! That means this piece might go here.”

🧺 Simple to Prep, Easy to Differentiate

The beauty of this activity is that it’s low-maintenance for you and highly adaptable for your learners.

• ✅ Use full puzzles for beginners

• ✅ Cut charts into larger chunks (like rows or columns) for support or K students.

• ✅ Use more complex cuts for early finishers or second graders

• ✅ Offer blank 120 charts or clues to scaffold learners that they can place pieces directly onto.

NOTE: Download a free chart on TpT...so many of them!

🎯 Perfect for…

• Math Centers

• Early Finishers

• Morning Tubs

• Sub Plans

• Take-Home Practice

• Small Group Interventions

• Partner Challenges

✨ Final Thought

120 Chart Puzzles look simple but they’re loaded with learning. Best of all? Once you’ve prepped them, they’re ready to use all year long. Mine above have lasted a few years so far.

Minimal prep. Maximum impact. That’s a teacher win.

Which One Doesn't Belong? More Open-Ended Questions

You probably already know how I feel about the value of open-ended questions! If not, check out these posts and grab lots of freebies. You'll even get to see a video of them in action.

They have changed the way I teach so many subjects and I just can't help being excited about my newest product line:

These are a mixture of math and ELA slides that you can project on a screen. Once the kids see the slide and you ask, "Which one doesn't belong?" be prepared to see kids that...

• love to analyze these problems.
• persevere in solving them!
• Engage in deep thinking.
• justify their answers.
• communicate their ideas and thoughts effectively. 

Let's take a look at one slide:

A few notes:

I'm always amazed at the answers the kids come up with.  Seriously...I'm blown away!

Many people leave reviews on similiar products and say they use them "every Tuesday."  I promise you they are SO  EASY and quick to use that one could be done daily.  That's what I do. I've used during Morning Meeting, projected one as kids are having snack, lining up, as a Do-Now, as a parner chat, etc.

The possibilities are endless!

Don't forget to grab several free Open-Ended Questions in my store. Perfect for Grades 1-2 but you know your class best!

Enjoy the FREEBIES!

Which One Doesn't Belong (Kindergarten Edition)

Been promising this for what seems like forever but with a recent nudge from a buyer of my First Grade product, I finally finished my NO PRINT Kindergarten version of Which One Doesn't Belong Open-Ended Questions.  A great way to add rigor and relevance to your classroom.

On sale for next week!

This set is a bit different from the First Grade Set as I don't offer any paper versions here.  I didn't feel it would enhance the product for Kindergarten.  However, I increased the slides from 40ish to 80.  Yep, EIGHTY!  And I added an ELA component.  You can do two slides a week for the school year!

I use these in my classroom all the time for Do-Nows, Math Talks, large and small group discussions and when the kids ask for them...which is quite often!

I think they love them so much because there are so many possible answers for each one.  Things that I didn't think of myself.  It's always a proud moment when they make a connection that was lost to me.

To see how I used the First Grade packet in my classroom (VIDEO!) and to get some free ones, click on this link.  

Enjoy!