Money counting is the perfect hands-on activity for teaching addition in third grade. This money counting game can be played alone or with a group of four students with real or pretend dollars and coins. Each group of students will need a paper bag filled with money (at least $10), a pencil and paper. Have the students shake their moneybag. One player picks a coin or dollar bill from the bag and writes down the denomination on his sheet of paper. Continue passing the bag around the circle of students until all the money is out of the bag or someone has reached $5. This game requires the students to keep a running total of how much money they have accumulated.
Teach addition while playing tic-tac-toe with equations. Give each pair of students a paper and pencil and have them draw a tic-tac-toe grid in the center. Underneath have them write the even numbers 1 through 10 (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) on the left side and the odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) on the right. The students play tic-tac-toe but use numbers instead. For example, they will have either the odd numbers or the even numbers. The first student writes one of her numbers on the grid and crosses if off the list because it can't be used more than once. Students continue to take turns writing their numbers on the grid. The goal is to make an equation either vertically, horizontally or diagonally to equal a sum of 15, so they must continually do mental math to decide where to put their next number.
Have the kids create their own board game with addition math facts in each space. On a large 11-by-17-inch piece of paper, draw any type of game board with squares large enough to write addition equations. The students can choose how difficult they want their equations. Each student has a place marker (such as a bean) and moves at the roll of a die to the next square. Before he can leave the square he is on, he must complete the equation.
Third grade students should be able to quickly add numbers mentally. This simple dice activity will help students practice their mental math skills. Give each child one die, a piece of paper and a pencil. Have the students roll the die 10 times and write down in a vertical list the numbers they roll. The students will look at their list of numbers and find two numbers that equal 10 and cross them off. Find two more numbers in the list that equal 10 and cross them off. Do this until all pairs that equal 10 have been crossed off. Then find three numbers that equal 10, if there are any left. Write down the answer. Have the students repeat this activity, possibly with a faster time limit, so they will get faster at their mental math.