How to Successfully Integrate Tactile Learning into Your Classroom
December 18, 2024
Writing your classroom supplies list can be daunting as a teacher, whether it’s August and your students are returning or January and you’re trying to restock. Maybe you’re an elementary teacher moving into a new classroom or building for the coming semester, or maybe you’re new in the education world and looking for those first-year teacher must-haves. What kinds of things do teachers need in their classrooms, anyway?
Math & Movement is here to help with an ultimate supplies list for classroom teachers! Set yourself and your students up to have a comfortable, accommodating, and welcoming learning environment. Below we’re sharing classroom must-haves and teacher supplies to make life easier. Plus, our favorite movement-based teaching materials that we consider absolute classroom essentials.
Movement isn't just for recess
Want to get started with movement-based learning right now? Enter your email to get our training manual with over 250 active math movements. No materials necessary!
See how simple adding movement can be!
These are the classroom must-haves that teachers need to stock up on constantly. Use this checklist to get your classroom started with the supplies you and your students will be using (and losing) all the time.
Don’t forget about yourself – teachers have needs and wants too! These school supplies for teachers make staying organized and doing your job easier. Invest in helping yourself feel and do your best!
While this list surely doesn’t include everything a teacher needs, it covers the most critical classroom supplies and the classroom essentials for new teachers starting their careers.
Okay, maybe these items are not classroom essentials, but who doesn’t like cool stuff in their room? Adding fun items to your classroom can give it a unique and personalized touch. This is important since you and your students spend so much time in this space! Here are some cool things for the classroom that we like to have.
Let your creative side show! Decorate your bulletin board according to the season or lessons you’re currently teaching. This is a great way to create a visually engaging and informative area in your classroom. Use construction paper, markers, scissors, and any other props you’d like to brighten up your wall.
Who doesn’t love stickers?! Place stickers on worksheets that students do well on. Use stickers as an incentive or a prize. When students receive a sticker from their teacher, they feel special and proud of what they accomplished. It’s a simple and subtle way to connect with your students.
Check out Math & Movement’s positive affirmation stickers – they’re great for giving students and staff a boost of confidence!
Books can be among the most valuable supplies for classroom teachers! Reading is the ideal activity for students who finish assignments early or when there’s free time to fill. Have a small bookshelf in your classroom for students to choose reading materials from.
Math & Movement has a selection of math and literacy storybooks to add to your classroom supplies!
The traditional school day is very sedentary. Experienced elementary teachers know that young students do not like to sit still for long periods of time. Luckily, there are supplies teachers can add to their classrooms to make movement-based learning possible.
Kinesthetic learning, or movement-based learning, is a hands-on approach that uses physical activity to teach students new concepts. Physical activity increases blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain. As a result, the brain can function at optimal levels for learning. Additionally, proteins that the brain releases during exercise support the function and growth of neurons. Movement can be really productive for learning comprehension!
Movement-based learning strategies increase student engagement and boost test scores. Furthermore, engaged students are less likely to be antsy or disruptive. Plus, moving around is inherently fun for children! Math & Movement harnesses this inclination for activity and turns it into enthusiasm for learning.
Because kinesthetic learning is so important, Math & Movement is dedicated to providing versatile materials to enhance movement-based learning within each elementary classroom. Here, we have built a list of 10 classroom supplies teachers need to easily incorporate kinesthetic elements into their teaching.
The Math & Movement Program is aligned to most state standards, which means these classroom supplies can help teachers cover numerous lessons and math concepts that will be found on state tests.
After 15+ years of working with schools, we have found that kinesthetic learning can help students learn up to 5 times faster and easily move forward 2-3 grade levels if behind. Check out this teacher supply list to get inspired and learn new ways to teach core math lessons in elementary classrooms!
This large, colorful floor mat depicts the numbers 1-100 in a 10×10 grid. The Add/Subtract mat is one of our most versatile materials as students explore math concepts by hopping on each number block.
This classroom must-have can be used to teach a myriad of concepts, including (but not limited to):
Sample Activity: Have students practice addition by standing on the mat and rolling dice. Ask students to add the amount they roll to the number they are standing on. The first person to reach 100 wins!
Our Skip Counting mats are number lines with large blocks for each multiple of the main factor. Each large block contains the numeral, number word, and group of symbols representing the corresponding quantity. They are available for multiples of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12.
These mats cover skills including:
Sample Activity on the Skip Counting by 4s mat: Have students stand at zero at the bottom of the mat. Then, point to the pattern that the pink boxes with the feet follow. These boxes are multiples of four. Have students start jumping down the mat, whisper each number that is not a multiple of four, and then shout each time they jump on a multiple of four.
For example, jump on one and whisper “one.” Hop on two and whisper “two.” Jump on three and whisper “three.” Finally, jump on four and shout “four!” Continue with this pattern down the mat to forty. Once students are comfortable with multiples of four, skip count by fours by jumping only on the pink boxes.
These teacher supplies make introducing multiplication fun, active, and easier in third grade.
Apart of our Skip Counting mats collection, this large format number line to 20 is perfect for any math lesson involving numbers 0 to 20. Multiples of 2 are in blue blocks.
Use this kindergarten and 1st grade classroom essential to teach the following:
This large floor mat features equivalent fractions from halves to tenths. It provides visual cues to the relationships between parts and wholes. Each box has its corresponding fraction depicted with a circle, rectangle, and square.
Use this mat to introduce students to:
Sample Activity: Have a student start at the bottom of the mat under 1/2. Ask the student to jump up each set of fractions and say them aloud as they jump. When they get to the top of the mat, jump sideways to the number 1.
For example, jump on 1/2 and say “one half.” Jump on 2/2 and say “two halves.” Then, jump to the left, land on 1, and say, “two halves make one whole.” Move to 1/3 and repeat the process across the entire mat.
Our Place Value Mats teach the fundamentals of multi-place number building and how to read large numbers aloud.
These mats are a great supply for teachers to teach:
Sample Activity: Have students create a number by placing the included numeral cards in the boxes at the top of the mat. Then, have them practice reading the number based on the place value while hopping on the mat.
For example, build the number 5,678. Start at the ones column. Jump on the eight and say, “eight ones.” Hop on the seven and say, “seven tens.” Move on to the six and say, “six hundreds.” Finally, jump on the five and say, “five thousands.” Change the numbers and have another student read it.
This large analog clock face is a classroom essential for all lessons relating to time! The mat includes two sets of vinyl hour and minute hands.
Use this classroom must-have to teach:
Sample Activity: Have students make a time on the clock with their bodies on the mat as the hands. Write different times on note cards in digital format (e.g. 1:25). Ask students to take turns creating the times on the cards by sitting or laying on the mat and pointing to the correct numbers.
The Dollar Hop mat names and depicts the number of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and half-dollars that equal one dollar.
Use this teacher must-have for all money-lessons, including:
Sample Activity: Have your student begin on “Start Here.” Ask them to count the pennies on the mat. Then, they will jump on the pennies while saying, “100 pennies is the same as one dollar.” Finally, have them jump on the dollar.
Next, have them count the nickels on the mat and jump on the nickels while saying, “20 nickels is the same as one dollar.” Jump on the dollar again. Continue with the dimes, quarters, and half-dollars, repeating the exercise. After students become familiar with these equivalencies, you can replace the words “is the same as” with “is equal to.”
This classroom supply depicts quadrant 1 of the coordinate plane.
Use this floor mat to teach:
Sample Activity: Write ordered pairs on notecards [e.g. (2, 4), (5, 8)]. Mix the cards into a pile. Have a student choose one card and find the card location on the mat. Place the card on the mat and mark the spot with an object. Repeat this activity with a different card.
This geometry classroom supply depicts and names the following shapes: triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon. Hop on the mat and see how many sides each shape has!
With this classroom essential, educators can teach:
Sample Activity: First, have students begin on “Start Here.” Ask the student to jump on each box, naming the shape. Then, have the student jump on each shape again and name a real object that is the same shape. For example, “A piece of pizza is shaped like a triangle. It has three sides!”
For our last classroom must-have for teachers, we’re featuring one of our floor stickers! This 180 Degree Protractor is ideal for learning angles and creating an interactive space in your classroom.
Use this unique sticker to teach:
Sample Activity: Have students take turns making angles on the sticker using their limbs or yardsticks. After one student makes an angle, ask if it is acute, obtuse, or right, and then have another student make an angle smaller or larger than the original.
Supply lists can be intimidating for first-year teachers. And for any educator, it is easy to get lost in lists of teacher must-haves and classroom must-haves. However, by taking the time to prepare your classroom, you are ensuring that each school day will run smoother than it would have if you didn’t have the teaching tools you need!
When it comes to student engagement and achievement, our materials will genuinely transform your students’ elementary classroom experience. By teaching with these classroom supplies, students will expand their knowledge at an incredible rate! Movement-based tools prompt renewed excitement for learning in students and teaching for educators. Really, these mats are teacher must-haves!
Movement isn't just for recess
Want to get started with movement-based learning right now? Enter your email to get our training manual with over 250 active math movements. No materials necessary!
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Orders
Please leave your email and a quick note for us. We will get back to you soon! In the meantime, here are answers to some of our most common questions:
→ Shipping is 10% of the order subtotal.
→Yes, we accept purchase orders!
Enter your email to get our training manual with over 250 active math movements. No materials necessary!
