The #1 Secret to Successful Independent Math Centers

Centers are one of my favorite things to incorporate into teaching any subject! It's a student centered time, you get to focus on small groups and differentiate instruction, and students get to work on those collaboration skills! They can truly be so beneficial when they run smoothly. But if you've ever attempted centers, you probably know that the "running smoothly" can be a challenge! And if they don't run smoothly, then you've lost all the benefits listed above. So what is the secret to making them successful?

"This can be a challenge because we want to change activities often to keep students engaged, but in doing so, we actually lose them."

The Secret

When implementing centers, ensuring that students know exactly what they should be doing in each center makes all the difference. That sounds really simple, but I'm not just talking about them following your classroom rules, procedures, and expectations. I'm talking about knowing exactly how to complete the activity, game, or assignment you've included in that center. This can be a challenge because we want to change activities often to keep students engaged but in doing so, we actually lose them. They forget the directions/rules of the game or activity (especially our youngest non-readers) and suddenly you've got a group of little friends interrupting your small group with "how do we play this again?!". UGH!

How?

After you decide what you want each of your centers to be, incorporate games/activities/procedures that stay the same but the skill the students are practicing changes. This helps SO much with students staying on task and lessens those interruptions!

Favorite Math Centers that Stay the Same

Some examples of my favorite center activities that can stay the same but you can include many skills are:

• Memory Match -matching questions with answer cards for any skill! Check out my Match Match It Center cards!

• Color by Code -There are so many of these on TpT that are seasonal and include many different skills for math and literacy.

• Technology -Programs like Prodigy, Boddle, Freckle, Splash Learn, ect... are great to use during centers because you can send out assignments or let your students play at their own level. No planning. Differentiated. Engaging! Boom Cards are great too for self checking practice!

• Bump! -This one is a student favorite. It's most commonly used with basic math facts and dice but could be adapted for other skills as well! You can also find many of these on TpT!
  

What are some of your favorite center activities?!