4 Simple and Fun Summer Math Review Activities

Teachers everywhere are always excited for summer. However, they are a little nervous too. Why? Not just because we are worried about our reading skills sliding, but our math skills might take a hit too! Many people think having students do school work over the summer is cruel. But, a simple summer math review can help your students from losing crucial skills. 

Use What Students Know for Summer Math Review 

Now, I know summer is supposed to be a relaxing time not only for teachers but also for students. That’s why one of the best summer math review activities is using your math centers. Math centers are the perfect activity to send home with students because it doesn’t take too much extra work for you, and it’s something students know how to do! In addition, math centers are mainly game-based. Therefore, students can have some fun with the games and maybe even play with their family. 

I am a big fan of sending home your math centers in printable form. However, you can also use digital centers as long as you do some planning to make sure students all have access to the digital centers. You can find math and literacy centers for kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade! This makes it easy to differentiate as well especially if you are using our FREE organization techniques!

Spiral Back with Summer Math Review 

Spiral Review is another easy print and send summer math review for students. All you need to do is print off the spiral review worksheets and send them home with students. Now, with this, it’s important to send tips to parents as to how to use these worksheets. We don’t want the summer math review to become homework because it is still summer. However, doing a worksheet or two while you are in a long car ride or waiting at the doctor’s office might be the perfect way to use spiral review. You can get spiral review activities for first, second, and third grade. Plus, when you get our spiral review work, you not only get math work, but language arts work as well! 

Family Game Night!

Another great way to review math skills this summer is using games! Games like Squares Your Brain or BUMP are super easy for you to get ready to send home! All you need to do is print off the game and send home the game boards and the pieces in a gallon sized bag with your students. These games can be used as family bonding time before bed or on a rainy day. I would always include a keeping summer math review fun guide home with parents. This helps ensure this doesn’t turn into homework. You can find these games for kindergarten, first, second, and third graders! 

Use Everyday Math for Summer Math Review 

This is one of my favorite things to do for summer math review. All you have to do is send your students home with a list of the math facts you’ve worked on this year. Include how these math facts can be used in everyday life. Then, parents can use those math facts when they do things like going grocery shopping, measuring out ingredients, adding up the bill at a restaurant, or calculating the tip when you go out to dinner. 

When our students commit these lessons to real-life events, they are stored in a different part of the brain which makes it easy for them to recall them. Therefore, not only will this increase our students ability to do math, it will help them make valuable connections that will help them in the years to come! 

Whichever summer math review method you choose to keep your student’s math skills up to par is completely up to you. After all, you know your students best! However, make sure you are sending something home with parents to help keep those all too important math skills sharp!