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Are you looking for a new way to teach math? We think incorporating movement into lessons is the best way to teach math – and we’ll tell you why. Movement-based instructional strategies for math make learning more dynamic. They help students understand concepts and feel confident in class. In this blog, we’re sharing how to make math fun while focusing on effective math teaching practices that yield strong student outcomes.
Discover how the Math & Movement program can make math class the highlight of your students’ day!
Math class can be one of the most anxiety-inducing classes, even in elementary school. Researchers have documented math anxiety in students as young as five years old.
Students who do not understand or enjoy math will get anxious or stressed about the subject. If they experience negative feelings surrounding math, they will avoid it.
When students avoid math, they likely will not practice it enough to meet expected learning outcomes. Research has found a strong negative correlation between anxiety and math achievement.
We have heard students say that math class passes slowly – implying that it is not enjoyable. Students who are not enjoying a class are far less likely to be engaged in the material.
Students who are not engaged in lessons are far less likely to comprehend and retain new information, making it hard to improve math grades.
Educators are searching for a new instructional strategy for math that answers their ever-present question: How do we make math fun and improve the student learning experience? To answer this problem, we believe the best new way to teach math is with movement-based instructional strategies.
Movement is one of the most effective instructional strategies for math, and it also helps us figure out how to make math fun!
Movement-based or kinesthetic learning uses physical activity to teach students new concepts and enhance math skills. It’s a hands-on approach in which information is understood by moving the body. There is science behind why it is such an effective instructional strategy for elementary math.
Physical activity increases oxygen levels in the blood and the blood flow throughout the body. As a result, the brain gets more oxygen and can function at optimal levels for learning.
Additionally, while the body is moving around, the brain produces a protein called BDNF, which improves the function of neurons and promotes their growth.
Exercise also promotes the development of the hippocampus – the portion of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
So when a person is physically active, their brain is ready to comprehend and store new information. This makes physical movement an effective math teaching practice to improve student learning.
With this science in mind, the Math and Movement program was created to help children become active and comfortable in learning. Data, research, and teaching experiences have shown us that incorporating physical movement into lesson plans is a highly effective math teaching practice.
Our materials and resources are designed to easily supplement your school’s curriculum. We are confident that adding movement-based methods is one of the best ways to teach math.
The Math and Movement program enhances lessons and provides countless opportunities for your students to grow. With our mats, stickers, and other materials, students will not only understand and retain their math lessons, but they will also be able to enjoy the learning process, making math fun!
Our data page showcases the success other schools have had with the Math & Movement program. Teachers have documented their students’ improvements while utilizing this new, effective way of teaching math.
We’ve seen students increase their math skills in as little as 20 minutes using Math & Movement. Our program provides effective math teaching practices proven to:
Meet this third-grade class from Suncoast Elementary School in Sarasota, FL. These students were nearing the end of the school year and still did not understand multiplication despite months of traditional instruction.
The principal observed that the students did not enjoy math and found it challenging. Luckily, Math & Movement came in to turn things around for the better, sharing with them how to make math class fun!
Math & Movement Founder Suzy Koontz led a 10-day math intervention for the class. Each day, students worked on multiplication by 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s for 2-3 hours using Math & Movement mats and workbooks as an effective math teaching practice.
Remarkably, in the short time we had to implement the Math & Movement program, these students achieved significantly greater progress than they had throughout the entire school year. Here are some of the key improvements we saw using these effective math teaching practices:
Next, find out how Math & Movement got these students chanting, jumping, and solving problems together in their classroom.
Sometimes, educators can be hesitant to change their lesson plans. It takes a lot of effort to incorporate new ways of teaching math. However, bringing the Math and Movement program to your school can be a seamless process!
Math & Movement is designed to supplement a school’s existing curriculum with new instructional strategies for math. Teachers can use our materials, activities, and movements in their lesson plans. Our program is aligned with most state standards, making it easy to match kinesthetic components to existing instruction schedules.
Educators can find an activity on our online database to do with their students using the Math & Movement materials they have. Or, they can start smaller by incorporating some of our active math movements into their school day as a brain break to refocus minds, practice counting, and energize students.
Math & Movement has plenty of activities suitable for both small-group instruction and whole-class lessons that make math fun. To explain how Math & Movement works in the classroom, we’ll use an example. (This is how Suncoast Elementary School implemented the program for their third graders!)
To teach multiplication kinesthetically, educators use the Math & Movement Skip Counting Mats found in our 3-5 Math Kit or our Third Grade Math Kit. (The 3-5 Math Kit is designed for multiple classrooms across grade levels to share, while the Third Grade Math Kit is suitable for single third grade classrooms.)
To teach multiplication by 3s, the teacher selects the Skip Counting by 3s mat.
Then, the teacher instructs students to stand on either side of the mat. Ideally, students each stand next to a multiple of 3. The Skip Counting by 3s mat has 20 spaces on either side of the mat for students to stand by.
First, students practice skip counting to recognize the number pattern. Students skip count aloud by chanting the multiples together, “3, 6, 9, 12…” Continue to 30. Repeat this multiple times. Students may clap along as they recite the numbers.
After this, students take turns physically jumping down the mat, landing only on the multiples of 3. The student standing closest to the “START HERE” block starts first. The rest of the students will continue to skip count aloud in sync with the student jumping on the multiples.
If the jumping student hops too slowly or fast, the teacher corrects this behavior and reminds them to land on the feet icons on the multiples of 3.
When the jumping student reaches the end of the mat, they will rejoin their peers on the sides of the mat by the 30 space. The next student, by “START HERE,” gets to hop down the mat now. Repeat this until every child has had a turn to jump on the mat.
The goal is to have students be able to skip count without being able to see the mat. Have students turn around and face away from the mat and skip-count aloud together. Repeat the activity until they can skip-count fluently with their backs turned.
Students can then move on to solving multiplication problems using the mat.
Want to See a Lesson Plan?
Curious how Math & Movement works in the classroom? check out this sample lesson that demonstrates how to use a floor mat for an engaging multiplication activity that boosts student learning.
These instructions for using the Skip Counting by 3s mat, along with other activities for math and literacy concepts, can be found on our online activity database. Unlimited access to the database is included with any Math & Movement order.
Kinesthetic instructional strategies benefit students’ conceptual understanding, retention, and attitude towards math! Math & Movement has helped teachers nationwide implement effective math teaching practices and make math fun for students.
Below, we’re answering some of the most common questions about Math & Movement.
Picture a student studying flashcards. Then, picture a student completing a worksheet.
You very likely pictured the student sitting at a desk. Traditionally, flashcards and worksheets are very sedentary activities. Students want to move and need to move. With Math & Movement, they can reap all the benefits that flashcards and worksheets offer while meeting PE requirements!
Our materials offer the repetitiveness needed to reinforce concepts (like skip counting) without the lesson becoming boring. When students’ bodies are active, their minds are active, too, and they’re more likely to stay fully engaged.
In fact, flashcards and worksheets can be used alongside our materials. Many of our activities include presenting problems on a flashcard or worksheet and using our materials and movements as tools to solve the problems.
For instance, the Sarasota students read a problem in their Jump & Learn Multiplication workbooks. Then, they jumped on the skip counting mats to solve the problem before recording their answer. This method breaks up the static, sedentary time and creates a fun, dynamic lesson.
Our activity database features activities that are suitable for small-group instruction as well as whole classrooms. Our materials are large enough for multiple students to hop and move on at the same time.
Plus, there are ways to involve students in learning while they are not directly on the material. As seen in our activity described above, with the Skip Counting mats, for instance, students can stand on the sidelines and skip count along as classmates jump on the mat.
Our instructional strategies for math are designed to have students move productively! Instead of trying to force students to sit still and focus, Math & Movement allows students to be physically active while learning.
When participating in a Math & Movement activity, students will focus their energy on moving and navigating the academic concept presented to them.
Our research found that kinesthetic activities brought about higher levels of student engagement than traditional teaching methods. Students are more likely to stay on task when they are engaged with their learning!
Active math movements are a great way to release some excess energy while practicing counting in between lessons. Repetitive movements on our materials are helpful for calming students who demonstrate sensory-seeking behaviors.
Our program includes a strategy during movements called “Beanpole.” Beanpole immediately brings the class into control, guides them to focus on the teacher, and gets them to actively listen for the next instruction.
You can also check out our blog on Effective Classroom Management Strategies for Elementary Teachers!
Students need more movement throughout the day. Instead of fighting fidgets and sensory-seeking behaviors, educators can productively encourage movement. Math & Movement allows students to move their bodies while learning and staying on task.
Math & Movement uses an evidence-based, active learning approach to boost students’ comprehension and retention. Plus, our movement-based activities are fun and keep students engaged! Many educators find that this dynamic method helps keep students on track and sets them up for academic success.
The program works to help students understand concepts that they may not understand with visual or audible teaching methods alone. It also works to reduce screen time.
Additionally, our program is designed to supplement your school’s existing curriculum. So educators can enhance their existing lesson plans without taking the time to rewrite them.
Movement helps students learn quickly and effectively – and we have the data to prove it!
Children love to move – and they need to move. Only one in four children in the US are getting the recommended amount of daily physical exercise.
Sitting for long periods of time reduces circulation, which can make it harder for students to concentrate.
Incorporating movement into lessons can help by stimulating the release of dopamine and nonadrenaline – chemicals in the brain that play a role in focus, learning, and anxiety reduction.
Math & Movement can help students get the daily amount of physical activity they need, stay engaged in school, and learn new information better!
Schools will receive unlimited access to our online activity database with their order. The database includes hundreds of ideas on how to use each one of our materials.
We also offer professional development training on kinesthetic strategies. Training is available in the form of in-person workshops or webinars.
If you have any additional questions, check out our full FAQ page. Or, contact us via email at info@mathandmovement.com.
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Want to See a Lesson Plan?
Curious how Math & Movement works in the classroom? check out this sample lesson that demonstrates how to use a floor mat for an engaging multiplication activity that boosts student learning.
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