Activities
When teachers think of math manipulatives, they immediately pull out the counters, Cuisenaire rods, and colored tiles. Kids have seen these for years, and while there will always be a place in education for the classic manipulatives, some teachers are thinking outside of the box by using lego to teach all of the same skills. They can be used for demonstrating addition, times tables, counting, and so much more! Even the Dollar Tree sells decent sized bags of building bricks for $1 now!
Here are 18 creative ways that you can use LEGO to engage students during math instruction!
1. Create LEGO towers to practice addition facts.
2. Engage in Build Challenges that reinforce Geometry concepts and encourage higher-level thinking.
via @igamemom
In this LEGO idea, you can challenge students to build LEGO creations that match certain perimeter measurements or simple shapes!
3. Use different sized LEGO blocks to practice addition facts.
via @mrsmactivity
You could also use this same idea to practice fact families. Check out more activity ideas from @mrsmactivity.
4. Practice counting and measuring with single blocks.
Via: @Thelearningtwist
How adorable is measurement town? Have students count and measure the height of buildings using LEGO bricks.
5. Help students visualize division facts.
6. Practice rote counting.
Use a dry erase marker to write digits 1-20 on the sides of larger LEGO bricks. Students can then count and stack them in order from 1-20. You could also use this idea for counting by 5s, multiples of 5, etc. The possibilities are endless with dry erase markers!
7. Use bricks to represent each digit in an addition sentence.
via @busyeasyfun
8. Match LEGO bricks to written numbers.
Write the digits 1-10 on index cards and lay them out in a row. Students can then stack LEGO bricks on each index card to represent the number. For example, if students are working with an index card that says “4,” they should count out 4 LEGOs, stack them, and place them on top of the “4.”
9. Practice comparing numbers, using <, >, or =, by making 2 stacks of blocks next to each other.
10. You can even teach times tables with LEGO bricks!
via @brightonbricks
For example, 3 x 2 would be two rows of 3 studs. Then students count the total number of studs, which would be 6.
11. Stack LEGO blocks to use the “count on” strategy for addition practice.
via @parentingpanda
12. Represent fractions, percents, and decimals with LEGOs.
Via: @Mrsmactivity
Download this fraction poster HERE!
13. Build arrays to teach multiplication.
via @edvanced.co.uk
14. Challenge students to discover the value of a colored LEGO by giving away some digits and leaving others blank.
For example, give the value of the red, green, and orange LEGO bricks in math sentences, and ask students to then find the value of the purple ones.
via @loving_and_learning_at_home
15. Build an addition truck with answers to addition facts.
16. Practice place value with LEGO bricks by building tens blocks and representing ones
Via: @Lysandrabellargus
17. Mix-up your materials by using LEGO people in an addition version of Shoots & Ladders. Use bricks to help discover answers along the board.
via @brickbybricktherapy
18. Build stairs that have digits written on the side, then have students use LEGO people to climb the stairs as they count and practice one to one correspondence.
One thing to keep in mind, as you plan out your LEGO activities for the year, is that students will likely not be sharing materials this year. Think about creating small kits for the kids to access on their own. You can’t go wrong with this classic tool!
