Using Math Journals and other hands-on activities

Learning through play, movement and using your hands is fun. Also, this type of exploration helps students, particularly younger students, to learn better. From learning the alphabet to math to science, hands-on activities are effective and engaging. 

 



Hands-on activities to teach basic math skills are often used in the classroom, for example, dominoes, linking cubes and counters. Making number art is a perfect hands-on activity. Math has itself been described by math lovers as an art motivated by beauty. Coloring, gluing and cutting numbers and examples of numbers is a great way to ensure not only beautiful results but also number awareness. 



Themed math learning material can help you ensure that your students and young learners are focused. Math is often seen as only a subject filled with numbers. Yet, math is a universal language you can find math in the most unexpected situations. The sharing of a pizza can be transformed into an engaging geometry lesson!

By using math journaling rather than relying on worksheets, your students will be provided with opportunities to connect math learning to communication and discussions as well. A math journal is a great chance to showcase the thinking behind their solution rather than simply providing an answer.

Working on prompts in a math journal goes beyond basic facts or using simple procedures. A deeper understanding is required to complete the task using for example drawings or writing to explain the thinking. Math journaling and hands-on activities also help to link math to language. 

Math prompts can be used with students of all ages. Starting with simple prompts gives you valuable insight into your students' understanding and thinking about math. Providing students with a chance to regularly use math journaling, means that their responses will be more detailed, which will help you get an even deeper insight into where each student is in their learning process. Like all educational material, the prompts must have interesting questions and prompts. Providing your students with room to explore and draw their solutions is vital. Fun and engaging images will make it more fun to get started with the journaling.  

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