Do your students love to play basketball? Are you looking for an engaging game or math stations to use during March Madness? Check out these games and activities to bring March Madness into the classroom.
March Madness Activities for Kindergarten
My students love anything using the word game. I love that these games are low prep, allow for easy differentiation, and increase engagement in the classroom. The six games in this set have a basketball theme. They focus on kindergarten literacy and math standards, making them great March Madness activities for kindergarten.
Kindergarten Madness reading games include a set for letters, beginning sounds, and CVC words. While Kindergarten Madness math games include a set for shapes (2d and 3D), addition to 10, and numbers to 100. Pick the set that works for your class, or create several sets to meet all of your student’s needs and bring March Madness alive in the classroom. Simply print the cards you want to use, and you are ready to play! Place the cards into a container, empty frosting containers or fun-themed cups from the Target dollar spot work great for storing the game cards. Students take turns pulling a card. If they can identify/name/solve the card, then they can keep the card. If not, they place the card back in the container. Special cards are mixed in with the game cards keeping interest and excitement at a high!
Basketball Themed Math Stations
If you are looking for activities to last all week or to be used for a family night at school, these ten March Madness math stations may help. These stations all have a basketball theme and focus on first-grade math standards. Use them as enrichment for kindergarten students or intervention for second-grade students. Practice Doubles/Doubles +1, Missing Addend to 10, Place Value, Fractions: Halves/Quarters, Adding 3 Numbers, Fact Families, Time to the hour and half-hour, number bonds, comparing numbers, and subitize/addition with the included stations.
March Madness Book Bracket
Another great way to use March Madness in the classroom is with a March Madness Book Bracket. This activity works in any classroom and has great flexibility. Use book brackets whole school, by grade level, or in your own class. Display the bracket in a hallway, on a bulletin board, or if you lack space like myself, project it on the whiteboard. Choose books focusing on a genre, theme, or standard, the opportunities are endless! Already made book brackets are available too! Check out March Book Madness for picture books, middle-grade books, and young adult book brackets.
A March Madness book bracket activity is an opportune time to involve classroom families. I like to send home the letter shown above explaining the activity. I then ask each student to choose one book they would like to be part of the March Madness book bracket. You could ask families to borrow the book if they have it or collect/purchase them all once the list is compiled. If you’d like to host your own Tournament of Books, you can grab the letter for free below.
What do you do for March Madness in your classroom?
