Stack, Match, and Master: 3 Amazing Hands-On Math Games Using Cups

 

Are you tired of giving out the same old worksheets? If you’re looking for a math center that’s truly hands-on and takes almost no prep time, you’ll want to try this!

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I’ve been sharing ideas about how to teach math with cups, and it turns out there are so many more engaging games we can play. Using simple, inexpensive cups helps turn those tricky, abstract math concepts into things students can actually touch and move. This helps students focus, cuts down on your prep time, and makes learning more fun!

1. The Coordinate Plane Cup Challenge: Graphing Practice Made Easy 🚀

The relationship between an ordered pair and its graph on a coordinate plane can be difficult for some students. This game makes that practice quick and engaging.

Getting the Game Ready:

1. Grab up to 10 cups. On the outside of one cup, draw a simple graph (like a single point, a line, or maybe even a ray).

2. On another cup, write the corresponding ordered pair (like (3, -2)) or the matching equation (like y=2x+1).

3. The goal is for students to find the matching pair and stack the correct ordered pair cup under the graph cup. Students can take turns matching the ordered pairs with their graphs.

Turn It into a Competition!

Use a time limit to make it into a small group game. Students can compete to get the most matches within one minute. Or, use this as an individual game. A student can work independently to get matches, practicing graphing skills and coordinate geometry until they master it.

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2.  Decimals Demystified with the Place Value Stack 🤯

Decimal place value can be tricky for some students. Cups can help students visualize the decimal placement within numbers to make decimals so much easier to understand.

This is a wonderful way to practice expanded notation—a concept some students need a lot of practice with to master, and which is a key part of the Common Core Math Standards for decimals and larger numbers.

 

The Setup for Expanded Notation:

1. Use any type of cup and a permanent marker to write three different forms of the same number onto three separate cups:

   • Numerical Form (e.g., 4.35)

   • Word Form (e.g., Four and Thirty-Five Hundredths)

   • Expanded Form (e.g., 4 \times 1 + 3 \times 0.1 + 5 \times 0.01)

2. When students stack three matching cups, they will be practicing numbers in three different formats and building a deeper understanding of decimal relationships.

3. Lines, Rays, and Angles: Geometry Vocabulary Sort 📐

You can also use cups to review basic geometry concepts like rays, lines, and angles.

The Setup:

1. On one set of cups, write different Geometric Terms (e.g., Ray, Line Segment, Obtuse Angle, Parallel Lines).

2. On a second set of cups, draw the actual visual representation of that term.

3. Students match the term with the visual and stack them up. This makes practicing geometry vocabulary interactive and fun!

   
   
   

These cup games offer a simple, effective solution for engaging students while practicing essential math skills. This kind of hands-on learning really helps students who need that extra visualization.