Ideas for math warm ups? (not seatwork)

[Letter_to_the_world]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some ideas for active math warm ups, only about 5 minutes long, that I can use for my class (2nd-3rd grade) at the beginning of math workshop before we head off to groups/independent work. Nothing I google helps because it comes back with seatwork/bell work examples.

To explain what I mean: one warm up that I came up with is that all students pick any combination of tens and ones base tens blocks. Then, when I say go, they have to line themselves up from smallest to largest number along the chalkboard as quickly as possible.

I'm most interested in things that are active, kinesthetic, or musical. If anyone knows of any print or web resources that might help me find more ideas, that would be great. Thanks!

[JennA]

I had a number of the day. This started on the first day of school (Day 1). I recorded the numbers on a roll of register tape that I suspended above my whiteboard. We took that number and brainstormed, as a class, number sentences (+, -) that had our number of the day as the answer. I would record these on the board. I would extend this by reviewing commutative property, doubles, near doubles, more than 2 addends.

We would also count out our number of the day in coins on the overhead. I would extend this by discussing with my class other combinations of coins that would require the least amount of coins, etc.

As the days passed, we could look back at the tape and discuss number patterns, skip count, and circle the 2's in green, box in the 5's in red, and triangle the 10's in blue. That gave the kids a great visual.

We did all of these activities together and there was no paper or pencil involved and the kids loved it!!

[Ebeth]

Play "Buzz". Students stand by their desks and you skip count. If you chose 3's then the students will start off 1,2, and then the next student would say BUZZ! then the next students 4, 5, and the 6th student would say BUZZ! and you keep going until someone says the wrong number or forgets to say Buzz. If they make a mistake they sit down, you can continue the game until the last person is standing. Kids love this and it reinforces their Multiplication facts!