Paper Plate & Spinner Numeracy Games

We just love to use our fidget spinner  for learning! These Literacy Games are quite a hit so I made another plate, this time to use for numeracy games!

You will need:

• Paper Plate
• Marker
• Fidget Spinner
• Small triangle arrow from cardboard or craft foam

This paper plate is so simple to make: simply write numbers all around a plate and use a fidget spinner to play the games below. You can use any numbers, low numbers for the little ones or high numbers up to whatever your kids are familiar with. Draw a fidget spinner shape in the middle of the plate and place the spinner there when playing.

Here are a few numeracy games to play with your paper plate and spinner:

Number recognition 

For the younger kids: spin the spinner and say the number it lands on. Can also clap hands 5 times, jump up and down 5 times, show 5 fingers etc. Older kids can practice counting in 2’s, 3’s etc.

Simple sums

Spin the spinner twice. Make up a sum. Use plus or minus in between the numbers and come up with the answer. Use the spinner as a timer if you want to make it more of a challenge.

Count your Steps

Get a starting and ending point on the floor(draw with chalk, use physical markers/blocks/end of grass or stick tape down). Each player spins the spinner and move that many steps/footspaces forward. Choose a “negative” number, say 1, and when it lands on that number everyone must move one backwards, just to make the game more interesting. The one that gets to the finish line first wins!

Cross Out/Elimination

Write the numbers that are on the plate on a paper for each player. Take turns to spin the spinner. Each player cross out whatever number it lands on when it’s his/her turn. Whoever has no numbers left first, thus all numbers eliminated or crossed out, wins!

Maths Facts/Combinations of

Each player spins to get a number. Spin the spinner again and use as a timer. They must use that number to write down all the combinations related to it before the spinner stops. E.g. The number 5 will be 1+4, 2+3,5+0.

More/Less/Equal Predictions 

Each player chooses a number that is on the plate. Each player predicts if his number will be more or less(or the same if you feel lucky) than the number he/she will land on. Spin to get a number. If the prediction was right, add a point. The one with the most points out of a number of rounds wins!

Lucky Number

Shout a lucky number that is on the plate. Now each player gets 3 tries to either, spin the lucky number, or to get the combination of numbers. So if the lucky number is 10, any combination to make ten will be correct or then the number 10! But you only have 3 chances!

Just a few numeracy games you can play using only a paper plate and fidget spinner!

Do you have any other ideas? I’d love to hear it…