Congratulations, you’ve finally made it to the end of the year! Sometimes I think the end of the year will never come, and before I know it, poof! It’s here.
Now that all of the tests are done, and you have all that behind you, it’s time to think about the fun review activities you can do with your engaging and entertaining students! The great part is that you don’t need to buy new things; you can just use items you already have in your classroom. That is worth its weight in gold.
So in today’s post, I have compiled a list of activities that you can use that take very little prep time but are fun for your students.
End of the Year Math Review Activities
Below are four activities that are the perfect end-of-the-year math review activities. They are low prep and enjoyable to do!
Board Games for End of the Year Review
This is great to use with all those board games for indoor recess. For example, Candy Land. That is perfect for this review game. All you need to do is write problems on those color cards from all units and have the students answer those questions. For example, you can have a geometry question: “How many vertices does a square have?” Another card has an addition problem “5+2=?” If they answer correctly, they can move to that colored spot on the board.
You could write problems on any game board card, and students already know how to play the game; they just need to answer the questions on the card.
Jeopardy for End of the Year Review
Now I know there are premade slide decks out there that you can use, and you just put in the questions, but that is a lot of work. All you need are index cards and a pocket chart.
Label each card 100- 500 points (and if you want a Double Jeopardy round, 200-1,000). And use the units you had throughout the year as the headings—for example, Geometry, addition, subtraction, word problems, etc. Then create your questions on the index cards.
I usually like to create teams by tables. I have one student who is a spokesperson for the group. They need to come up with the answer, but only one person can speak. If they get it right, they get points. If they don’t, I don’t give them the points. I don’t take away points because it gets too complicated.
For the Final Jeopardy question, I usually make it a word problem because that is usually the hardest for the students to do. I make the question challenging but possible. I explain how to wager because many will wager everything and win or lose it all.
This is a fun end-of-the-year activity, and I usually do this on the last day of school.
Escape Room for End of the Year Review
Escape rooms are so much fun for students. I like to create a challenge for my students and have them work as a team. So I usually start with something pop culture reference. However, for this example, I will keep it generic.
I would tell the students it was the last day of school, and we were locked in the building. We need a four-digit (or however many-digit code) to unlock our door and enjoy the break.
I would use a unit I taught throughout the year as one of the 4 digit number to help unlock the door. For example, I would have numbers to 100 as one digit in the code, addition and subtraction as another digit in the code, geometry, and measurement as the other 2 digits in the code.
The students must find clues and solve the problems throughout the room. Once they have solved 3-4 problems, they get one digit that will eventually unlock the door.
An example would be getting one digit; they would have to answer geometry questions. I recommend reading the first question. “The square has how many vertices?” The students would answer, I would say they are correct, and then give them a clue to where the next question is in the room (ex: “The next clue can be found on a clear rectangle that you can see out of.” Answer: The window.) Students would go to the window and look at the next geometry question. Once they had answered 3-4 questions, they would get a digit in the combination. The card would say, “The next digit is 5”. Once they have all the numbers, they can unlock the door and get out!
Chalk Outside for End of the Year Review
Any chance to get outside, I will take it! Students love getting outside, and let’s face it, so do we! I love taking my students out and giving them sidewalk chalk. I go out the blacktop, and they find a spot where they can work and hear me. Once they are out there, I will give them a problem to solve, and they must show me their work. For example, I would ask students to show me the answer to 5+4. They would write the number sentence or draw a picture to show the solution. The great thing is that it will wash away once the rain comes through.
Make End of the Year Math Activities Fun
End-of-the-year activities can be fun and engaging. You don’t need to buy new things; you can use items you already have in your classroom. That’s worth it, simply by using board games you already have, creating a Jeopardy game, a simple escape room, or taking your kids out to draw chalk on the blacktop.
Comment below with your favorite game that you like to use!
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