Hands-On Math Activities for Your Second Grader
By the time they reach second grade, kids must master some key arithmetic skills to ensure they’re ready for the more advanced concepts that lie ahead. This is also the time to conquer telling time and basic measurement, along with learning how to make and use graphs. Try these hands-on math activities for your second grader to help them build their skills in meaningful and engaging ways.
Race to 15 to Master Math Facts
Like it or not, now’s the time to ensure kids know their basic addition and multiplication facts inside and out. Flashcard drills are one way to do this, but they’re not an awful lot of fun. That’s why this game from The Measured Mom is worth a try. Kids draw a flashcard from the stack and say the answer out loud. Then, they place it face up in a row in front of them, building an ascending number line from the answers. When they’ve gotten 15 cards right, they win!
Bonus Activity Idea: There are more ways to have a little fun with flashcards. Try laying them all out on the table or floor, then playing I Spy. Say, “I spy a flashcard with a sum of 15.” Your child grabs a matching card as quickly as possible. If they’re right, they keep it; otherwise it goes back on the table.
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Knock Down Blocks for Subtraction Practice
Second graders also work on addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers, and this knock-em-down game from Math Geek Mama is such an exciting way to practice!
Kids make a stack of blocks, counting them and writing down the total. Then, they use a yoyo as a “wrecking ball” to knock some of them down. Count the blocks that fall, then write an equation that represents a subtraction problem to figure out how many are left.
Bonus Activity Idea: Lay out two Uno or playing cards (numbers only) in a top row. Then lay out two more underneath. Add or subtract them to find the answer. See this in action at The Moffatt Girls.
Play a Game of Skip Counting Hopscotch
Skip counting gets kids ready for multiplication, so plan lots of hands-on math activities for your second grader on this concept. A real favorite is skip counting hopscotch. You can make your course for whatever number you’re working on–counting by 2s, 3s,5s, 10s, etc. This idea from Kinder Craze gets kids up and moving, engaging multiple parts of their brain as they learn.
Bonus Activity Idea: Grab a measuring tape or yardstick and some clothespins. Choose a number to skip count by, and have kids place the clothespins on the appropriate numbers. Make this activity from Thriving STEM more challenging by asking kids to skip count starting at a different number than usual.
Collect Nature Items and Make Graphs
Combine a nature walk with math skills with this activity from JJ Resource Creations. As you stroll, pick up leaves, twigs, stones, acorns, and other items. When you get back home, use those items to create a bar or line graph.
Bonus Activity Idea: Graphing opens the door for lots of hands-on math activities for your second grader. Open a bag of Skittles or M&Ms, then sort them out and graph by color. Take a survey of your family’s favorite pizza toppings or ice cream flavors, and represent the answers in a graph. You can even count the number of letters in each family member’s name and graph the results.
Toss Place Value Bean Bags
Second graders should master place value up to the thousands place, and tossing bean bags is such a fun way to work on this skill. Label four bins with ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands, as seen on Saddle Up for 2nd Grade. Toss in bean bags, then write out the resulting four-digit number. Or, choose a goal number and toss bean bags until you have the correct amount in each bin.
Bonus Activity Idea: For another place value activity, take a stack of styrofoam cups and write numbers on the edges. Stack them up, and see what numbers you get. The Imagination Tree has all the details on this clever idea.
Go On a Measurement Hunt
Visit ABCmouse to print our free measurement worksheets, then arm kids with a ruler or measuring tape. Their goal is to fill in the crossword using questions from the prompts above. If they’re up to the challenge, they can even convert their measurements from feet to inches or vice versa.
Bonus Activity Idea: Want to get more activity into your math lessons? Try racing toy cars and throwing airplanes. Have kids measure how far they go, then compare results to find the best methods for each. It’s also fun to see how far kids can jump, or compare the lengths of thumbs or noses!
Gain Money Skills With Dollar Dash
This game works on both money skills and adding to 100. Simply roll a die and use the key from Primary Theme Park to see what it’s worth. For each roll, add the amount to your running total. If you really want to make it tricky, declare that kids must roll the exact number they need to reach $1.
Bonus Activity Idea: Apply money skills in the real world whenever you can. Give kids a pretend “budget,” then use grocery store ads or online websites to go shopping. This builds money smarts and financial literacy, both key life skills that all kids need to learn.
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