1st Grade Educational Games and Activities

What Games and Activities Can I Do with My 1st Grader?

Incorporate activities and items that your 1st grader enjoys, such as walks, snacks and toys, into at-home review sessions to keep your child's interest. Activities like going to the grocery store, car rides or a trips to the park can turn into a counting game, a color game or an addition or subtraction problem. Additionally, discuss a topic that sparks curiosity in your child's everyday life, such as clouds or butterflies. Encouraging him or her to ask questions will increase your 1st grader's vocabulary and language development.

Graphing with Goodies

Help your 1st grader learn to sort and graph using a treat. Grab a small package of M&M's, jellybeans or Skittles, and have your child sort out the different colors. Once they are sorted, help your child create a bar graph by placing each color vertically on a sheet of paper. Have him or her count the different colors and write that number on top of each color's graph. Have a discussion with your child about which color has the most, which has the least and if any of them have the same amount.

Another version of this activity would be to have your child create different patterns (AB, ABC, etc.) with the treats before sorting and graphing. After successfully completing the pattern and graphing activities, your child can eat the snack!

Go on a Nature Shape Walk

At this age, 1st graders learn to identify and describe shapes. Explain to your child that shapes can be found everywhere. Go for a nature walk with him or her and see how many different shapes you can find and identify. Your 1st grader can also practice his or her writing skills by taking a clipboard and drawing or describing the shapes he or she sees.

Once your nature walk is over, have a discussion about which shapes were most common and which were rare. This activity will help to improve your 1st grader's oral language and vocabulary skills as well. You can also look for shapes indoors, such as at your house, a mall or a museum.

Word Scavenger Hunt

Increasing your 1st grader's phonemic awareness abilities is important because it is the foundation for beginning readers. Choose a letter of the alphabet and have your child go for a scavenger hunt indoors or outdoors for five items that start with that letter. Once the objects are found, help your 1st grader write that word on a piece of paper. A different version of this game would be to say a word and have your child find an object that rhymes with that word. For example, if you say 'mat,' your 1st grader could find a bat or hat.