Math KITs (Games For Home)

A Fun Way for Kids to Practice Math Facts at School or Home!

KIT stands for “Kids Into Thinking”. These math KITs are a great way for children to practice basic operations at school and/or home using a different game (in a kit) each week. Learn to create and introduce KITs and download free multiplication KITs below.

FAQs About KITs

What materials are needed?
The games use simple, inexpensive or free, easy-to-obtain materials so that students only need to provide flashcards.  (You can print flashcards for your students HERE for free).

Which skills can be practiced with KITs?
Since the KITs shown here are for third grade, they’re designed for multiplication facts, but could just as easily be used for addition and subtraction.  Each KIT can be used for one or more multiplication tables (or addition/subtraction fact families) at a time, depending on which flashcards and materials are chosen by the student.

What containers do I need?
To hold the KITs, I used zip-close baggies and the boxes that Scholastic book orders come in, but you could use shoe boxes, plastic containers, mini backbacks, or anything else you want.

How do the record sheets work?
You can download all the KIT direction record sheets (forms shown in photos below) here.  I printed the forms and stuck them inside the KITs with the materials that are listed on the forms.  Since I have 20 students and only 10 different KITs, I made two of each KIT.  Students #1-10 shared one set of KITs, and students #11-20 shared the other set of KITs.  If you have more than 20 students, you could make additional KITs using other math games you have or make a third set of the games below.

How do you distribute and collect the KITs each week?
Each Monday, my students returned their old KIT and signed out a new one.  I called 10 students at a time over to a table (the ten kids who shared one set of KI’s, so #1-10 all at once and then #11-20 all at once). Then I quickly checked to make sure no materials were missing or damaged, and let them pick out new KITs from the selection on the table.  You could keep a record of who has had which KIT, but I just let the children choose their own. The children signed their names on the record sheets inside the KITs so they could just check the sheet if they weren’t sure whether they’d tried a particular KIT yet. KITs were checked out weekly until each child had a chance to use every KIT (ten weeks).  Students used them to practice whichever multiplication table we were studying that week (there was an in-school quiz weekly).

What if kids don’t return the KITs?
I had several instances in which materials were lost or damaged.  However, because the items were not expensive, and I knew that most of my kids were actually using the KITs, I didn’t mind having to replace things periodically.  If you teach in an area in which students frequently lose or damage things sent home and have little parental support, you may want to have the KITs available only for classroom use, or make only KITs that are easy and cheap to replace.  Regardless of your teaching situation, it’s a good idea to have an extra set of KITs so that you can immediately replace them when needed.  You’ll need to determine for yourself whether your students will responsibly use the materials and transport them safely to and from school, but I encourage you to take a leap of faith and give your students the opportunity to prove themselves.  If you stress to your kids that these KITs are very special and you spent a long time making them all yourself so they would have a fun way to learn math, most children will try to take very good care of them. Also, students know cannot check out a new KIT until the old one is returned, and that’s a pretty good incentive, too.

Who plays the KIT games with the students at home?
Children can play the KIT games by themselves. They can also play with other children, and of course, they benefit the most from having an adult nearby to facilitate as needed.

Do I grade the students on their KIT usage or penalize them if they don’t play?
I wouldn’t. I like to make KITs a fun privilege and hype them up so much that kids think they’d be crazy not to play. This can be accomplished by making a big deal out of collection time: “Ok, it’s Monday! Time for new KITs! Woo-hoo! Who had a great time playing this week? Tell us who you played with! Fun! Which game is your favorite so far? Which one would you like to get today?  Boy, I can’t wait to see your scores on the mutiplication test on Friday. All this practicing at home–you guys are gonna rock it for sure!” I know a few kids rarely if ever played, but that’s really out of my control. Getting them to complete regular homework was enough of a chore; it wasn’t worth getting upset if they didn’t want to play a math game.

How do I introduce KITs to my class?
Explain that you’ve created a fun way for them to practice their math facts at home, and that they’ll be able to  try out the KITs in class first. Tell students you’ll be watching how they use the KITs in class and will make a determination based on their practice regarding whether they’ll be allowed to take the KITs home. (The purpose of this statement is to get kids to view the games as a privilege and not a chore, and incentivize them to concentrate on their learning and use the materials correctly.) Pair students up everyday for about 10 minutes. Give them a different KIT each day and have them explore the directions and materials together. As you watch the pairs play, be sure to correct any misconceptions and check that students are caring for and cleaning up the materials properly.  After the practice each day, take a moment to model correct/incorrect usage of KITs and/or allow a particularly responsible pair of students demonstrate how they played and cleaned up. After the class has had a chance to explore every KIT game under your supervision, begin allowing them to take the games home.  At this point, they should be familiar with the activities and excited to show them off at home.

What if I don’t have time to let the kids practice with the KITs in class before sending them home?
You can skip the in-class practice period, but taking the time to properly model and guide students through practice will save you a lot of headache once students start taking the materials home. The experience will also be more valuable for them because they’re more likely to use the games if they’ve had a positive experience with them and they’ve been trained to play the games correctly.

How do we play? Where do I get the direction forms?
You can download all the KIT direction record sheets (forms shown in photos below) here.  Please note that the record sheets you download match the photos EXCEPT for KIT #7, which is listed as “Break The Eggs”.  The directions for and materials needed for Break the Eggs are on the form if you want to make that game.  If you want to use Bingo Stars, which is what’s pictured here for KIT #7, you can make the game using the free template at Kelly’s Kindergarten (scroll down to ‘Shooting Stars’). In addition to the record sheets, some of the KITs use materials like game boards, which can be downloaded by clicking on the links underneath the photos.

Multiplication KITs

Note: Website visitor Jennifer Bond contacted me on Facebook and told me she adapted these KITs for addition and subtraction for her first graders! She has done an outstanding job–the KITs are absolutely amazing!

KIT #1 is a beanbag game.

Download the gameboards for KIT #2 (Tables Bingo) at Adrian Bruce’s fantastic website.

KIT #3 is a game I love playing whole-class; all you need is a few decks of cards.

You can use any multiplication CD for this–most come with lyric sheets and activties.  Check your local library to see what’s offered for free (that’s where this one is from).

KIT #5 is a memory game played which can be played with flashcards.

For KIT #6, I provided tiny flashcards but students could use their own if they wanted to practice one multiplication table.

KIT #7: You can make the Bingo Stars game using the free template at Kelly’s Kindergarten (scroll down to ‘Shooting Stars’).

“Rotten Bananas” is KIT #8 and can also be downloaded for free from Kelly’s Kindergarten.

KIT #9 is Speed, which is like Battle, except with dice instead of cards. You can use regular dice or dice that go up to higher numbers.

KIT #10 requires timers. I got mine very cheaply from IKEA in the kitchen section.

Recommended Resources

Interested in trying this with literacy?  Visit Mandy Gregory’s site to find detailed tips for 4th grade.

How about ‘take home bags’ for every subject area? Check out these ready-to-print ideas for 2nd grade from Blanchard Elementary.

HUNDREDS more ideas for take-home backpacks

Check out Jennifer Bond’s adaptation of my math KITs for first graders (addition/subtraction)

Now What?

Visit the main Math page
Learn how to incorporate writing into math instruction on the Math Journals page
See how to create simple and cheap materials on the Math Games and Centers page
Find more center materials on the Ideas for Free Centers page
Learn how to make Easy & Creative Centers
See how to arrange your materials and classroom on the Setting Up Centers and Stations page