One of the best things about math games is that they can be played in pairs! This is great news for teachers because it means we can easily differentiate instruction and provide more targeted support. But organizing classroom space for math games is easier said than done. Here are a few ideas that will allow students to play math games in pairs without falling into chaos!
Keep Materials in One Place.
The first step of organizing classroom space for math games is to choose one spot in the room to keep all the math game supplies like game board, manipulatives, game pieces, and recording sheets. This will make it easy for students to get started right away and make clean-up a breeze. Don’t forget to stock your game shelves with some of my favorite math games!
Keep your Expectations Posted for Quick Reference.
Playing math games takes a little intentional classroom management. Organizing your classroom space for math games also gives you an extra opportunity to be clear about your expectations for student behavior. To make game time run a bit smoother, hang some posters near your game supplies to remind students as they gather the materials need for math games. Here is a free download of math game expectation posters that work great in setting the proper tone.
Arrange desks in pairs.
This is probably the easiest way to ensure that students are sitting with someone they can work with. Simply push the desks together in twos for your everyday seating chart. Then when it’s time to play math games—viola! You’ve got ready-made partners.
Keep some floor space open.
Sometimes your students will need more space to spread out their math game materials, or you’ll just feel like mixing things up a bit. For these occasions, keep some floor space open for students to spread out with their materials. Little pockets of floor space around the room are perfect for math games just like they are for independent reading.
There are lots of different ways to organize your classroom space for math games so that students can easily work in partners. It just depends on what will work best for you and your students! Just pick a system that works for you so students don’t have to waste time getting organized and will be able to jump right into the fun!