12 Guided Math Independent Activities for the End of the Year

I love using math games to encourage practicing standards independently in kindergarten. Here is a collection of resources and organizational printables that I made to help keep my fourth quarter guided math games organized.

These materials are used in the practice zone by my students and are organized using ziploc baggies and housed in a cupboard.

I hope if you’re looking to implement guided math in some way that works for you, you could use some if not all of these 12 resources! Some are free and some are paid.

How to Use this Collection

1. Download

Download the linked games, activities and resource materials were created by other teachers {and me!}. I’ve found them to be useful during the last 9-10 weeks of school. Click each link to be taken to where you can download it from.

2. Print

After downloading, print the standards-based games that you think will fit the needs of your class best. Print the drawer lists, drawer labels, organizational labels too.

3. Assemble

Laminate the game mats or activity pieces or run copies of consumable activities. Make them durable. Grab some gallon sized baggies to store individual materials in. Organize and label your bags.

4. Model & Use

The fun begins! Roll out these games and activities over time and model how to play/use them. Reinforce expectations with discussion and positive praise.

Quarter 4 Downloadable Resources

Here are the math games, resources and activities that I have used during the last nine weeks of school. The collection I put out varies slightly each year with the group of kinders that I have.

1. Beach Addition and Subtraction Game Board – Pull cards and solve both addition and subtraction equations to move around the game board. Equations within 5 and within 10. {Free}

2. Snap! Subitizing Comparison Game –  Students play in pairs. Each student gets 1 set of cards. Each student flips over their top card. If they are the same amount, they say “SNAP”. The student who says “SNAP” first gets both cards. (See pg. 6 #18)

I love running tons of these cards on lots of different colored construction paper to make tons of sets that are easy to sort during partner play. {Free}

3. Subtraction Within 5 Timed Tests – These are a part of my warm up activities for my teacher zone lessons. After I use on in groups, a copied version on an overhead makes its way into the practice zone.

Students LOVE using vis-a-vis markers to make practicing worksheets more fun. I simply let my students rinse them off and return them to the drawer. {Paid}

4. Flash Card Flash – Use any set of subitizing cards and students work with a partner to quiz each other. They sort the cards into fast, slow and incorrect and then work to practice the yellow and red sorted cards together. I love using subitizing cards to 10 and ten frame or rekenrek cards to 20 for the 4th quarter. {Free}

5. Subtract n’ Slide – This game is great for a single player. It reminds me of a version you’d buy from a teacher resource store. It’s simply a workmat that give students vertical subtraction equations to solve (within 10) and act out the equation.

I like using a variety of manipulatives to change this one up every other week or so. {Free}

6. Decomposition Equation Memory – This game is a memory game that uses ten frames and the matching equations to build pairs. Student match the groups of tens and ones to the correct numeral. {Paid}

7. Monster Trucks Subtraction Bump Game – I try to give as much subtraction practice as possible. My students are very familiar with bump games so this subtraction bump game fits right in. I will also change it up mid-way through the quarter with this subtraction sharks bump game too. {Free}

8. Decomposition Equation Magna Doodle Cards – This is another twist on avoiding worksheets. These magna doodle cards are perfect for breaking down numbers 0-99 into tens and ones using equations. {Paid}

9. Subtraction Memory – Three different versions that really help develop visual skills for subtraction. Normally we put out the more difficult two for this quarter. {Paid}

10. Hundreds Chart Coloring Puzzles – These are a classic item that I introduce in January when we are closing in on the 100th day of school. We learn how to do them during our calendar binder time and then by the time I’m ready to put a set into the practice zone, they already know how to use the number keys at the top.

Here are a few free ones: seahorse, vampire, patriotic boy, cinco de mayo, apples, flower. Oh but I totally have these 100 chart puzzles in my cupboard too! {Free & Paid}

11. I Spy Decomposing Numbers with Equations – This is a different version of the I Spy mat that comes in my Decomposing/Composing Numbers Pack. Since we move towards decomposing with equations this quarter, that’s what this activity focuses on.

Students use a magnifying glass to find the teeny number hidden in the pictures. Then they record those numbers and decompose it into its group of ten and left over ones before moving on. {Paid}

12. Flash Card Flash Equations within 5 – I’ve used this in two ways. We’ve used a timer and recorded our work but I like using the flash card flash version best. Students play in partners so 2 people are practicing work at the same time. {Free}

Additional Quality Fourth Quarter Potential Items

Here are a few items that haven’t made the official list though I’ve used them in groups at the teacher zone.

They just never officially made their way to the practice zone with a bonafide drawer label or anything. So, while I wanted to be sure to list them out for you, they aren’t included in the organizational tool download.

Race to 100 Booklet – Students race against themselves to build fluency in writing to 100. Add plain pages to make this a book for accelerated students to see how high they can keep on writing! {Free}

Old Lady Race Games (to 20, 50, 100) – Students roll a die and cover spaces until they’ve gotten to the goal number. {Free}

Place Value Blast – For kinders needing numbers up to 36 (’cause yes, I usually have one or two… sigh) then this would be a game I’d use for number identification. I’d even add in craft foam ten frames so they have to build it based on the tens and ones. {Free}

Race Car Tens and Ones – Students roll and move along a game board. At the end of their game they have to break up their linking cube tower into groups of tens and ones to see who has won. {Free}

Quarter 4 Practice Zone List

This is a printable list for the quarter that I have hanging up in my cupboard and in my lesson plan binder.

That way I can see what I have at a glance and it helps me plan what I have yet to introduce. Somehow I only snapped a photo of quarter 2 but you get the idea.

Quarter 4 Drawer Labels

I cut my printed drawer labels into strips and then add 2 pieces of velcro onto the backs. It works for me change out the labels, but you could do this any way you want.

I think if I was to redo it, I’d make the labels adhere to the inside front of the drawer so they don’t see as much wear and tear when students are toting drawers around the classroom. {wink}

You may like to use a different kind of container – great! Simply trim as needed to fit the front of your organizational bins.

Quarter 4 Square Organization Labels

There’s nothing fancy to these labels. They are simply what I chose to use in my own classroom. They are mainly for me and help keep my storage organized.

If I were to use them with kids, I’d include pictures. I made them for the practice zone materials as well as the other basic materials I keep on hand for small group lessons in the teacher zone and for manipulatives being used in the recording zone.

If you’re not a fan of the “simple” you could always print a second set of drawer labels and use those to adhere to the front of the bag.

I had access to a giant roll of double sided sticky tape when I printed these. I laid the entire piece of paper on the sticky roll, cut and then stuck on as I went along organizing. If I didn’t have that, I probably would’ve just used a stapler to make the labels for the front of the bags {crafty, right?! ha!}

If you’re ready to get organizing, then download the labels and included printable activity list!

Download Quarter 4 Labels & Activity List

I hope this collection can help you build up your own to use in your classroom. If you liked it, let me know so that I can plan on creating a version for the first three quarters of the school year.

If you like what I do here on KindergartenWorks, then be sure to subscribe today. I look forward to sharing ideas with you weekly.

More Guided Math

• Cool math for kids collection – technology zone
• Keeping Math Games Zone Simple {printable}
• How to Organize Kindergarten Math Teaching Materials
• Planning kindergarten standards-based math curriculum
• Guided math – small group space guided setup

My Favorite Guided Math Products

• Guided Math Pack (Lesson Plan Templates, Strategy Posters & More)
• Composing and Decomposing Numbers (11-19+) Differentiated Materials
• Computer Center Math | Kindergarten | Cool Math for Kids | Differentiated