• Math activities help first graders learn.math image by jaddingt from Fotolia.com
  
  Math activities for first graders are beneficial for these young children when they are engaging and meaningful to first grade math lessons. These activities can include math crafts, games or group activities. There are a variety of activities to choose from for teaching first graders math concepts and skills.
  
  

Ball Bounce

• Discuss graphs with the students and show them how to make a bar graph on the board. Hand each of the first graders a basketball. Tell them that they are going to make a bar graph showing how many times the balls are bounced by each student. Write each student's name on the board, and have them count how many times they bounce their balls in 60 seconds. Write the amount of times each student bounced their ball below their names. Have each child sit at their desk and make a bar graph using the information on the board. Let each student share their bar graph when they have all finished.
  
  

Skip Counting

• Pour red fingerpaint into a shallow container. Roll out a piece of butcher block paper. Have each student come up and dip their hands in paint and place it on the butcher block paper. Use a baby wipe to clean off their hands. When everyone has made a hand print on the paper, show the students how you can count their fingers by 2's, 5's and 10's. Let each child have a turn skip counting.
  
  

Number Sequence

• Photocopy a calendar page of a month with 31 days. Make enough copies for each student. Pass out one copy to each student and have them cut each square of the calendar so they will have 31 squares. Hand the first graders a sealable plastic bag to put their pieces in. Have the students shake up their pieces, dump them out on their desk and put them in order.