8 Helpful Hundred Chart Activities and Tools for 1st Grade

One of the things I like to focus on from the very first day of school is the hundreds chart: counting, finding patterns in it, and many other counting activities. 

I wanted to share 8 of my favorite activities and resources with you for the back to school season! 

Resources to Help Start Your Year Strong!

TpT's Back to School Bonus Sale is happening August 30th and 31st!  Save 25% with promo code: BTSBONUS22

Here are some resources to help you start the year strong!

Hundreds Chart Worksheets for 1st Grade - An Engaging Way to Reinforce 10 More, 10 Less!

Are your students able to complete a hundreds chart with ease? 

Do you notice they struggle with a portion of the chart in isolation? 

Reinforcing Phonics Skills with Learning Games

I have always used games to reinforce the concepts my students learn it class. I started creating them over 17 years ago when I worked in a Title 1 school. It was a great way to motivate them while reviewing key math and phonics skills they needed!

TPT Seller Spotlight for K-1 Resources

 

My shop is featured this week in TPT's newsletter in the Seller Spotlight, it was a lovely way to start of 2022!

One of the resources featured is my Kindergarten Bingo set.

 

This set includes 7 math and literacy skills: Uppercase and lowercase letters, number words, numbers 0-10, numbers 0-20, color words and shapes. Each skill has 6 bingo boards for a total of 42 boards!

I use this in centers and as an alternative to worksheets for homework. 

The other resource is my Short Vowel Games Bundle.

This set features 6 different games all with short vowels. Some sets are decodable cvc words, while others contain blends and digraphs. 

This allows you to easily differentiate activities for ELA centers and homework.

Thanks to TPT for this feature and a Happy 2022 to all my readers!

First Grade Classroom Decor - A Fresh Look for 2021!

I have always loved my word wall that I used in Kindergarten, but this summer I decided I wanted to refresh this area for first grade!

Classroom Seating for K-2

I've always been a table teacher. I had desks when I taught 5th, and during the pandemic. However, I prefer tables because there is much more space in our room!

3 Ways to Start the New School Year Strong

Choosing books for the first weeks of school can be tricky!

Adding Within 10: Addition Anchor Chart for K-1

Getting K-1 students to understand the commutative property of addition can be tricky.

 

Brain Breaks in the Classroom: Puzzle Table

I have always loved doing jigsaw puzzles as the amount of concentration it takes is really soothing. I have found over the past 15 years of teaching that my students find them relaxing too!

K-1 Bingo Games for Literacy and Math

My first grade class enjoys playing games during morning arrival each week.

Distance Learning in Kindergarten

I'll be honest, distance learning in Kindergarten can be overwhelming when you first start to think about it!

Of course, that is true for most grades. However, in Kindergarten there  are many things that need to be seen in person, for both you and your student!

Skill Games for Homework

Homework is such a hot topic these days - I know I have never been a fan of it for Kindergarten. 

Classroom Reveal!

Here is a peek at my classroom from last year!

Kindergarten Classroom Decor

Kindergarten students need to have access to a wide variety of words in their first year. It can be overwhelming, having all those posters displayed in one classroom.

Assessing with Exit Slips in Kindergarten

When I first started teaching Kindergarten I used lots of full sized worksheets. I would watch my students struggle through each one, most of the class only completing half of the sheet. It seemed like such a waste of time...and paper!

Between the uncompleted work and the excessive time I was spending copying and prepping papers that did not seem to be helping my students, I decided to rethink what I was doing.

Did I really need to stress my students out just to do a quick check on their understanding?

Should I really be spending one whole prep period each week copying piles worksheets for the next week just to see if they understood what I was teaching? 😛 I felt like my time was better spent preparing hands-activities that really allow my students to explore and direct their own learning.

This year I switched to using exit slips for all areas of our daily routine. We use them for motor skills, handwriting, phonics and math. I knew it would be helpful for me time-wise, but I had no idea how much it would benefit all of my students as well.

They love the smaller sized papers (1/4 of a sheet.) Even my most reluctant writer or math student is willing to sit down and give these mini activities their best effort. They enjoyed them so much that they were disappointed whenever we didn't have one to do because of assemblies or holidays! 😂

I found that I got the same, if not more information, from these exit slips  than I used to get from a worksheet.

I think it is because they are willing to take the time to solve the less intimidating exit slip. Before many students lost interest when presented with a full sized paper and did not do their best work.

I love how these exit slips only take a few minutes to score and put into my grade book which is another plus!

One of the best parts is how much paper and time exit slips save! I only have to run off 6 sheets to cover my whole class. Even if I run off 5 days worth, I am still only using 30 sheets of paper. It just takes a few seconds to cut them up and I am ready for the week ahead!

After using these all year I found my students were much more relaxed when presented with these exit slips. I still got all the data I needed and the slips allowed them to have time to play and work on hands-on activities, which is much more important! Also, when we did do a full sized sheet from time to time, they worked very hard and seemed to give more effort than I had previously seen.

I had a much easier time managing paperwork and was better about sending work home to their families. I just find correcting a small stack of papers way more motivating and easier to maintain in the long run! 😆

If you are interested in checking out any of the exit slips I have available, please click here or on the pictures below!

Looking for more Kindergarten handwriting ideas? Check out this blog post!

Loose Parts Play Ideas for K-2

  

Out of all the new things I implemented this past year, loose parts play was my favorite!

Kindergarten Morning Routine

Our mornings, like most classrooms, is a bit hectic! Our kids arrive between 8:15-8:45, depending on how they are dropped off in the morning. I like to change up our morning routine each day, just to keep it interesting for everyone - including myself!

One staple in our routine is the Would You Rather questions.

No Work Weekends Planning Schedule

It took about a year to figure my system out, but I now have a planning schedule that allows me to take each weekend off from school completely.

Using a TV in the Classroom - ELA and Math

Having a TV in your classroom can seem overwhelming at first, but it really is an amazing way to increase learning. Click here to read about how I incorporate it into our morning meeting.