There’s nothing like warming up with a nice, hot cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day (especially peanut butter cup-my favorite flavor!). It’s just so comforting and that is why I decided to make hot chocolate math cards and games – so students could feel comforted when warming up their math skills.
Winter Hot Chocolate Math Games
Students love playing these classic games so why not make them winter-themed? They are already familiar with how to play and the hot chocolate winter theme gets them excited about playing!
Hot Cocoa Tic Tac Toe – Give each pair of students a tic tac toe board and a pile of the appropriate cards. Students pick a card and find the coordinating number on the tic tac toe card. They use a dry erase marker to make their mark (x or o). If they choose a card that is not on the board they choose another card.
Cocoa Bingo – Use either tally mark cards or ten frame cards or a combination of both as calling cards. Choose a calling card and show it to the students. Students find the matching number on their bingo card and mark it with a cotton ball, mini-marshmallow, bingo marker, bingo dabber, or color the cup.
Marshmallow Connect Four – Students place cards face down. They take turns turning over a card, finding the correct number on the board, and coloring the space in their color. The first to get four marshmallows in a row in their color wins.
Hot Cocoa Go Fish – This classic card game can be played in a number of ways. A pair can consist of matching card to card or matching a number card with a tally mark card, a number card with a subitizing card, a number card with a ten frame card, etc.
Deal 4-5 cards to each player. Students look for matches and lay them down. On a player’s turn they ask the player to their right if they have a card that is a match for one of their own. For example, if I have the number card 4 I would ask if they have the tally mark card that shows 4.
Hot Chocolate Go Fish to Make 10 – This is a more challenging version of the classic Go Fish game. Use 2 copies of the ten frame cards. A match consists of 2 ten frame cards that together equal 10. For example, the 3 ten frame card with the 7 ten frame card. When asking another player for a card the student could say something like “do you have the 3 to go with my 7 to make 10?”.
Hot Chocolate Math Number Card Activities
Assessment – The hot chocolate cards can be used in a variety of ways to assess students (cards for subitzing, numbers 1-20, tally marks, & ten frames can be found here). You can show the student a subitizing card, a tally mark card, or a ten frame card and have them match it with a number card or vice versa (you show a number card and they match it with a subitizing, tally mark, or ten frame card). You can mix and match the cards as desired (for example, match a ten frame to a tally mark, etc.).
Subitizing Practice – Flash either one of the subitizing cards or ten frame cards for 3-5 seconds. Have the students draw what they saw on either a blank card (subitizing) or a blank ten frame card OR have the students tell you how many marshmallows they saw and how they know they are correct.
Counting Practice – Have students count out the correct number of marshmallows or cotton balls.
Sequencing (Number Order) – Give a student a pile of number cards and have him/her put them in sequential order. You can require the student to pair the numbers with ten frames or tally marks if desired (this can help students recognize patterns).
This can also be done as a whole group activity. Give each student a number card and have them put themselves in sequential order (stand in sequential order).
Missing number – remove or cover up a number and have students tell you or replace the missing number.
If you would like to use these hot chocolate math cards and games in your classroom click here.
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