Fun Math Card Games for Young Learners that Boost Skills

Don’t Underestimate That Deck of Cards

If you’ve got a few spare decks of playing cards in your classroom closet, you’ve got a no-prep math card game ready to go.

Playing cards are a surprisingly versatile tool for math card games, practicing addition, subtraction, comparison, and number sense. The best part is that kids love them. They feel like games, but they're doing real math.

I’m sharing two simple, no-prep math card games you can play right away using a regular deck of cards, plus a few more class favorites that your students will love!

Base 10 Blocks Activities for Place Value: Ideas to Try This Week

Base 10 Blocks can and should be used all year long! 

Base 10 blocks are manipulatives we all have tucked away in a bin, but they’re often underused or saved just for the “place value unit.”

Let’s change that. Today, I’m sharing two easy, engaging ways to use base 10 blocks in your classroom. These ideas can be used tomorrow without any extra prep. And if you’re looking for something more, I’ve got six more student-loved activities you’ll want to see at the end of this post.

How to Teach Word Families in a Few EASY Steps

Looking for a fresh way to teach word families that actually sticks with your students?

You're not alone.

When taught strategically, word families offer a powerful way to build decoding fluency and strengthen phonics instruction. Word families have always been a go-to for building early reading skills, but how we teach and display them might need a little update.

As more classrooms shift toward Science of Reading-informed practices, it’s time to reframe how we teach word families. We can integrate routines that are interactive, engaging, and grounded in research-based instruction. Here's exactly how I teach word families using a hands-on approach that actually sticks.

Starting Bucket Filling? Here's What Actually Works

Have you ever tried something in your classroom that you wanted to be amazing, but it just... wasn’t? That was me the first time I tried teaching my first graders about bucket filling.

I loved the concept, encouraging kindness and helping students recognize the good in others  Actually implementing it with my first graders was rough  My students struggled with the writing component, the buckets were underused, and the idea fizzled out within weeks.

But I didn’t give up—and I’m so glad I didn’t  Let me walk you through how I turned things around and implemented a bucket filler routine that made bucket filling a meaningful, year-long part of our classroom community.

Engaging Patterning Activities for First Grade: No Worksheets Needed

Tired of using the same old patterning worksheets year after year?

If you're looking for a more engaging way to teach patterns in your primary classroom, you're in the right place. Worksheets can get the job done but often leave kids disengaged and don't always reflect true understanding. Let's explore more meaningful and active ways to teach patterning in first grade—ones that are fun, interactive, and rooted in real-world exploration.

Why You Need to Teach Sound Segmentation and the Best Way To Do It

Phonemic awareness is one of the most important skills you will teach your students. It is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in words, a key component of the science of reading.

One specific aspect of phonemic awareness is sound segmentation: the ability to break words down into their individual sounds, or phonemes. This post will explore the science behind sound segmentation and how you can teach sound segmentation effectively in your classroom.