Making math flashcards is an effective memory strategy that uses basic addition and subtraction in recalling and identifying numbers. Write simple addition and subtraction problems on one side of the card and the answers on the other side. For example, one half of the card might read “6 + 6 =?” with the answer, “12,” written on the back. You can also provide students with partially completed 10-column, 10-row number charts from 1 to 100 and 101 to 200. Have your students work either independently or in pairs to write in the missing numbers.
Take the traditional game of “20 Questions” and transform it into a math activity that focuses on recalling numbers 1 to 200. Begin with a question like, “I’m thinking of a number. This number is a multiple of 10 and is halfway between 1 and 200. You have three chances to guess the number.” Placing a limit on the number of guesses encourages students to think about the math as opposed to blurting out a random response.
Computer math activities generate high student interest. Numerous websites offer games and activities for second-graders that reinforce the recall and identification of numbers 1 to 200. Interactive money counting games review numeric place values and skip counting by twos, fives and 10s. Online number games such as “Finding Even Numbers” and “Finding Odd Numbers” challenge students in a non-competitive setting. Interactive “Counting Backwards” activities often require the completion of a computer-generated, dot-to-dot scramble puzzle that spells out a message when successfully completed.
You can take classic nursery rhymes such as “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” to new levels with second-graders. After saying various math-friendly nursery rhymes aloud as a class numerous times and discussing the mathematical elements of each, challenge your students to get creative and add original math words and concepts to the stories. Be sure to stress that their original material must add to the existing story and adhere to the correct rules of math.