MENTAL MATH AND ACTIVE MATH GAMES FOR GRADE 3

Step up the 3-5 minutes of inner math work for your 3rd graders. Give them plenty of
practice with solving problems with the four processes in all directions and with two-
and three-digit numbers, identifying all factor pairs of composite numbers (e.g.,
24=2x12, 24=3x8, 24=4 x6, 24 =6x4), solving practical problems with more than one
process and/or with measurement. Here are some ideas to add variety!

NUMBER OF THE DAY

1. Give one child the chore each afternoon to write a number in a corner of the BB up to
9,900,000 (adjust the maximum to reflect the place values you have taught).
2. The next morning at the beginning of mental math a volunteer reads the number.
3. Other students are asked to give the number in the unit’s place or the ten’s place, etc.
or to add to or subtract from it.

PLACE VALUE CALL

1. Have the students help you create a deck of cards with numbers 10,000–99,999, one
number written on each card.
2. One child comes to front of class, chooses a card and calls out the number.
3. All students write the number in their practice books or on slate.
4. A second child is chosen to write the numeral on the chalkboard.

I’M THINKING OF A NUMBER

873
1. Write a number between 1-1000 (or less) on a slate. Teacher says, “I am thinking of a
number between 1 and 1000. See if you can discover my number. You can ask me
questions but I can only answer “yes” or “no.” Students ask questions in order to
narrow down the possibilities such as: Is it greater than 500?, Is it less than 100?, Is it
an even number?, Is it divisible by 5??
2. Take turns going around the room and let each student ask one question; at first, you
can write the information gained from each question on the board like >10 (greater
than 10), even number.
3. Point out questions that eliminated lots of possibilities for them to learn how to hone
their skills at this game.
4. Students respond verbally or write on slates.
5. After a few games, the students will find the answer very quickly.

I’M THINKING OF A NUMBER WITH A NUMBER LINE

1. Choose a mystery number and then choose which two numbers the mystery number
will be between. Draw a number line with only those two numbers at either end and
all the points in between the two numbers.
2. Play the game and add the numbers given with each guess.
3. You can use the greater and lesser than signs above the line to help as well.

Compiled or created by Patti Connolly and Janet Langley 1

NUMBER JOURNEYS
1. The teacher says sentences, which contains a few processes, such as 14+9-3.
2. Students raise hand to answer or write the answer on their slates and hold up for the
teacher to see.

FAMILY REUNIONS
Write some family members sitting at a round table on the BB. Tell the students to look
at the table going from the least to the greatest number and figure out who is missing:
35

14 __

21

GRID MATH
1. Make a grid on the BB like this, inserting different numbers based on what your
students’ levels of abilities:
+ 30 7 2 ÷
9 12 = 4 5
- 8 9 11 x
2. Point to the boxes one at a time and have the students calculate in their heads as you
point. You can move from the sum to a missing part or from the sentence to the sum.

STAIR STEPS
1. Have the students stand on their chairs.
2. Draw a math question from “the hat” for each child. Give the first math question to
the first student. If this student answers the question correctly, she either steps down
and stands behind her chair or sits down in chair (depending on how much time you
wish to devote to this and how many students you have…).
3. Variation: Students can skip a question one time.
4. Play Stair Steps for 5 minutes each day and see how many questions were answered
correctly in that time. Keep track of this number (write total in a corner of the board,
etc.) and try to “best” your class total next time.

FINDING FRIENDS
1. Make a stack of flashcards that have at least 2 different ways to get the same answer
(ie. 60÷2 and 38-8) or have the students make them.
2. Pass out one card to each student.
3. Explain that they have one minute to find their “answer buddy” without speaking.
Once they’ve found each other they sit down next to each other.
4. Everyone checks the answers mentally so that the class can confirm everyone’s
accuracy.

Compiled or created by Patti Connolly and Janet Langley 2

MIXED UP NUMBERS CHART
Make a chart with the numbers 1-99 in any order and add 1 number twice. Here is an
example with two 12’s. Before playing any of the mental math games below with the
chart, ask the students, “Can you find the number that occurs twice?”

11 51 30 71 40 67 23 45 82 15

1 77 57 60 34 50 8 59 10 32

41 64 2 88 75 38 90 44 66 25

19 87 70 4 24 89 56 48 76 81

53 46 99 92 83 37 65 91 29 61

21 73 27 86 12 17 97 13 80 43

16 35 3 31 78 93 68 96 6 54

69 98 49 36 5 52 95 18 7 94

28 22 62 9 55 84 39 79 42 20

74 14 85 63 33 26 72 47 58 12

Then use the chart in a myriad of ways. Here are a few:

1. Basic operations
a. You give a function using one of the four processes. Examples: “+2, -9, x4, ÷3.
Point to a number on the chart for each student who completes the sentence
using the appointed function. Example: You point to 38 and the function is “-
9”. The student says 29. Easy version: Go down a column or across a row,
move slowly from number to number, keep the same function. More difficult:
Move around, go more quickly, change the function.
b. Ask students to double (triple, quadruple, etc.) each number or half of each
number.
c. Addition: Point to two numbers next to each other and have the student add
them.
d. Subtraction: Point to two numbers next to each other and have the student
subtract the lesser number from the higher number.
e. Students consecutively add down a column or across a row with each
student adding the next number to the sum given by the previous student

Compiled or created by Patti Connolly and Janet Langley 3

2. Greater than and less than: Point to two numbers next to each other and say,
“Compare these two numbers. Is the one on the left > or < than the number on the
right?”
3. Divisibility: Choose a number between 2 and 12 for the whole class to work with.
Point to a number on the chart and say, “Is it divisible by __ (the chosen number)?”
4. Challenge your students to come up with an activity.

ACTIVE MATH GAMES

TIMES TABLE IT
1. One child is chosen as “it”. The other children are given numbers 1-12 so that there
are two children who are the number 1, two who are the number 2, etc.
2. A times table is chosen for “it”. “It” will call out a multiple of that table one at a time.
3. The object of the game is for the numbers which are the factors of the multiple called
out run to switch places in the circle before “it” can fill one of their spaces.

THUMBPRINT
1. This is a more competitive game than the above. You may want to wait to do it until
4th grade. Write two number sentences on the board, such as 8x7 and 6x9.
2. Two children are chosen to stand in the back of the room with an aisle available to
run to the chalkboard.
3. The teacher calls out the answer to one of the sentences.
4. The two children race to the front and try to be the first one to put her thumb on the
correct sentence first.

CARD GAME “31”

This is a fun card game for 2 to 6 people to play. The game is perhaps best when played
with 3 players. A standard 52-card deck is used. Go online to learn how to play this
quick, fun game!

Compiled or created by Patti Connolly and Janet Langley 4