Megan Reynolds

Megan Reynolds

I am a teacher & designer. Connecting with students & seeing them enjoy learning is my favorite feeling on earth! I hope you enjoy this article!

1st Grade Math Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Math Choice Board for 1st Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 1st Grade Classroom during Math you will need to create the Mathchoices (there are lots of examples), organize the classroom, and have a goal;

Time-saving, differentiation, and dynamic classroom management are my favorite reasons to use a choice board!

Integrating choices every day you will need to hone in on the best way to apply 1st Grade Math choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your1st Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 1st Grade Math Choices

Count & Draw Animals
Draw animals & count them. If I say “Draw 3 cats,” make 3 cat pictures. Then count: 1, 2, 3! Make sure each cat looks happy!
Shape Hunt Adventure
Let’s go on a Shape Hunt! Look around for circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Draw or list them in your shape journal. How many can you find?
Number Balloon Pop
Pop balloons with numbers 1-10! Find the number I say, and click it to pop! If I say “3,” find and pop the balloon with 3. It’s fun!
Math Story Time
Math Story Time is fun! We read a story with numbers and count things like stars, apples, or friends. You can use your fingers to add or take away and see the answer!
Pattern Play with Stickers
Make a cool pattern using stickers! Stick them in a line—circle, star, circle, star—and repeat. Try different shapes and colors. Have fun!
Coin Caterpillar Count
Make a caterpillar with coins! Put pennies for its head and body. Count by ones to see how long it is. Each penny is 1 cent. Add them up for fun!
Color by Addition
Color by Addition is like a coloring puzzle. You solve easy math problems and each answer tells you what color to use on a picture. It’s fun!
Fruit Basket Addition
Fruit Basket Addition is a fun game where you count apples, bananas, and oranges in baskets and add them together to find out how many fruits you have in all!
Treasure Map Math Quest
Ahoy! Find treasure by solving easy math! Count, add, or subtract numbers. Follow the map’s clues to X marks the spot. Ready for a math adventure, matey?

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Math in a 1st Grade Classroom

Keep It Simple

Everyone “teacher & student” should know exactly what they are doing. If you don’t make it even easier! 

Differential Instruction vs Saving time?

There is nothing more irritating than “Saving Time” with a Choice Board & ending up with “More work!”.  Are you using this to hit standards or save time or both? 

"Self Guided" or "instruction-based"?

If you giving out work, should they do it on their own or are these more instructions for each choice?

General rule, if the grade is > 3 there is more work per choice.

FREE Blank Fillable & Custom Choice Board

All ages, all grades where you need 9 grid choice board. Start loving learning again! 

How To Manage Your 1st Grade Classroom During Math (With a Choice Board)

I find its easiest to use a big board at the front of the classroom where all students can see the choices  then decide what they want to do

This often will be coming in from a break or transition between subjects. 

If you can get all students to know whats expected during a choice activity it becomes one-hundred times easier to manage the class & have everyone know what choices they have!  

There are three core steps you have to hit when using a Choice Board; 

1) The Set Up
2) 
The Instruction 
3) The Q+A 

1) The Set Up

Select your choices, decide on how you are going to use this time in your classroom. Build the choice board

1) The Instruction

Tell the students what they are going to be doing (this becomes easier over time) Simply start with 3 options & move from there. 

1) The Q & A

Does anyone have questions? This will help you or the next time. Remember the goal is to make this easier each time! 

Why Use A Choice Board?

So, let’s chat about choiceboards and why they’re like the coolest thing ever in your classroom. 

Picture this: kiddos bouncing into the room, eyes lighting up because they get to pick their own adventure in learning new words.

 It’s like a mini vocab party, and everyone’s invited!

We all have our own jam, right? Some of us are little artists, others are born performers, and some love to get lost in stories. Choice boards are like a buffet of fun learning snacks, so every munchkin finds something tasty that helps the vocab stick!

And here’s the kicker – when the little ones get to steer the ship, they turn into these mini captains of learning. They’re making the calls, and with every choice, they puff up a bit more with confidence. It’s a win-win – they’re learning and feeling like the boss at the same time.

Plus, for us teachers, it’s like having a secret helper in the room. We get to sprinkle in all sorts of activities that match our students’ levels and what makes their hearts tick. It’s like custom-making a learning playlist that gets every kid grooving to the vocab beat. How cool is that?