I want my students to be motivated to get their work done and use their time wisely in the classroom. That is why I love giving my students fun and engaging activities as fast finishers. These fast finisher activities are games students can play together. Fast finishers allow my 2nd grade students to practice important skills as well, like mastering addition and subtraction math facts.

The thing that is crazy about these fast finishers, my students choose to do them during free time and inside recess. That shows you really how engaging fast finishers can be for students.

 

But before we get started. Did you know I love to help teachers give math instruction to their students in a fun and meaningful way?

No more repetitiveness with math fact practice for students. 

No more tears over the anxiety timed tests give. 

I’m sharing all of my best tips for teaching math facts in a way that sticks in my free workbook for 1st and 2nd grade teachers.

Download my free workbook, The 7 Steps to Ensure Math Fact Fluency here.

Okay, let’s get into it. Here are 12 activities for fast finishers you can use in your classroom.

First off, I want to say that I love giving my students choices when it comes to fast finishers. I set out all of these activities and students can choose to play or do what they are interested in to practice their math skills.

 

Fast Finisher Activities

I know a lot of teachers let students get on iPads and other devices as fast finisher activities. I do too but I like to limit how much time they get. I assign students one day a week where they can choose to get on a device. When it’s not their day, they need to pick a different activity to do. This works really well for me and students. They look forward to their day and I don’t have any tears when it’s time to put the device away. If you want to incorporate devices into your fast finisher activities, you’ve got to check out Polymath. It’s a free math app! It puts solving math problems into a game that makes math practice so engaging for students. And best part, students can play at home as well. Learn more about Polymath here.

Fiddle Sticks

First, we have Fiddle Sticks. This is a really fun, yet simple fast finishers game for students. All you need is jumbo popsicle sticks and a red Solo cup. Write math facts on the end of the popsicle sticks. Color the end of one popsicle stick black.

Students take turns passing the cups around, pulling out a stick, and saying the answer to the math fact. 

If a student pulls out the fiddle stick, they have to say “Fiddle Sticks!” and put all their popsicle sticks back in the cup. Learn more about Fiddle Sticks here in this blog post: 3 Easy to Make Math Fact Games

 

Math Facts War

Next, we have Math Facts War. For this fast finishers game, I print out cards that have a different math fact equation on each one. The students playing pass out all the cards evenly until all the cards are gone. Then on the count of three they all flip over one card from their stack. 

The student with the highest sum takes all the cards and puts it on the bottom of their stack. Then they continue this until a student has all the cards.

This is a really popular fast finisher in my classroom. So I have many different addition and subtraction versions.

Find the Math Facts War addition version I use in my classroom here.

Find the subtraction version here.

 

Math Facts Old Maid

This is another popular fast finisher activity in my classroom. Students play old maid but each card has a math fact equation. When a student gets a match they have to say the answer to the math facts.

I have students use a recording sheet on this one to keep them accountable and it works great! 

Find the Math Facts Old Maid I use in my classroom here.

 

Math Facts Go Fish

Next, we have Math Facts Go Fish. This one is similar to Math Facts Old Maid, but it’s Go Fish. Students make matches and say the answer to the math facts.

I like when my students can practice math fact strategies while doing math facts. So I created a version that using the Make Ten Strategy.

To learn more about math fact strategies, read this blog post: Math Fact Strategies that Work

Find the Math Facts Go Fish game I use in my classroom here.

 

Math Facts Board Games

Not only do students love card games, but they also love board games. That is why I created these math facts board games for my students to play as fast finishers.. 

They are set up like Candyland. First, students pick up a card that has a math fact equation. Then they move to the next space that has the answer. Finally, whoever reaches the end of the board game first, wins!

I have different versions for these as well. So students can choose what facts they want to work on. 

Find the Math Facts Board Games I use in my classroom here.

 

Math Facts Bingo

My students love the classic game of bingo, so I created a math facts version as an activities for fast finishers. Students get a playing board and then take turns pulling an equation from the bag.

Then they cover the spot on their board that has the answer. The first one to five in a row wins!

Instead of using candy in my classroom, I leave out dried beans students can use as bingo markers.

Find the Math Facts Bingo I use in my classroom here.

 

Math Facts Don’t Eat Pete

With math facts Don’t Eat Pete, students work in small groups and put a “marker on each square. (Again I use dried beans if I don’t want to use candy.)

First, the group chooses a player to leave as the rest choose a square to be “Pete.”

When ready, they call the one player back. That player picks up the “markers.” They do this as they say the answers to the math facts.

Then when the one play picks up “Pete,” the rest of the group yells “Don’t Eat Pete. Then it is another player’s turn.

This game is easy to differentiate. I have versions set out for facts, 1-5, 1-10, 1-20, doubles facts, and near doubles facts.

I have playing boards with themes for the whole year. So students never get bored of this game.

Find the addition version here.

Find the subtraction version here.

 

Math Facts Janga

This is a really fun, hands on fast finisher activity math game that my students really enjoy. All you need is a set of Jenga blocks.

I like the mini version.

Then I just write math fact equations on the side of blocks. As students play Jenga and pulls out blocks, they say the answer to the math facts.

 

Math Facts Memory Match

I made a math facts memory match game for my students to play as fast finishers. They lay out the cards and play just like regular memory match. Except they are matching answers to equations.

Also, I have versions where student find matching equations. And versions that show the ten frame that matches the equation. I love how students can practice using the Make Ten Strategy here. Learn more about teaching the Math Ten Strategy here.

Find the Math Facts Memory Match I use in my classroom here.

 

Fast Finisher Booklet

Lastly, not all fast finisher activities have to be games. I like to set out engaging worksheets for students to choose to do. I give them punches on their “Good Choices Punch Card” for completing these to give my students a little more incentive.

You can have these be loose papers where students turn them in when they are completed. Or print off some for the month and put them in a Fast Finisher Booklet. Here are some ideas on worksheets you can put in a Fast Finisher Booklet.

 

Math Fact Riddles

These are so engaging for students. They solve all of the math facts and then use the key to reveal the fun fact. Each page has a picture of the topic of the fact. So it really intrigues students to solve.

My students love these so much, they often ask for some they can do at home.

Find the Math Fact Riddles I use in my classroom here.

 

I Spy Math Facts

Just by having students search for something, makes it fun for them. Well, make that something into math facts!

I hide different math fact equations on a page with different clipart. Students search through trying to find different kinds of facts.

For example, students may be searching for facts that make 10. They highlight all the equations on that page that make 10.

For the equations on the page that don’t equal 10, they write it on the back with the answer. So they get lots of math fact practice.

Find the Year Long I Spy Math Facts Bundle I use in my classroom here.

 

Now you have so many ideas to change things up with fast finishers in your classroom. The key is to make fast finishers fun and keep it academic. You will be surprised how much students love them and how much practice they get in.

For more ideas on how to get students to math fact fluency, download my free workbook for 1st and 2nd grade teachers: The 7 Steps to Ensure Math Fact Fluency.