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Playful math: Adding with chain links

Leave a Comment Kindergarten, 1st Grade

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So many kids dread math class, but I think that math can and should be fun for young kids. In fact, in our homeschool math is a favorite subject for both of my kids because I make it playful and hands-on.

One of the playful math activities I did with my kids was the activity described below that involves practicing addition facts with chain links. Adding with chain links combines fine motor skills development with basic math practice. And it’s completely hands-on, which kids love.

For more activities, resources, and printables for teaching math, see my Math Activities for Kids page. 
Adding with colored chain links is a fun, hands-on, and playful math activity for working on addition facts. Plus, it develops fine motor skills too! Love this math activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. || Gift of Curiosity

In our homeschool we use several resources for learning math, but our primary curriculum is RightStart Mathematics. RightStart de-emphasizes counting in favor of having kids think in groups of 5s and 10s.

On this particular day, I wanted my daughter to practice adding 5 plus a number. So I created a simple worksheet with six different problems for her. The first addend was in orange to symbolize that she would build it using the orange chain links. The second addend was in purple to symbolize that she would build it using purple chain links.

(We use the Learning Resources Link ‘N’ Learn Rainbow Links.)

Adding with colored chain links is a fun, hands-on, and playful math activity for working on addition facts. Plus, it develops fine motor skills too! Love this math activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. || Gift of Curiosity

For each problem, she began by linking five of the orange chain links.

Adding with colored chain links is a fun, hands-on, and playful math activity for working on addition facts. Plus, it develops fine motor skills too! Love this math activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. || Gift of Curiosity

Then she added the appropriate number of purple chain links.

Adding with colored chain links is a fun, hands-on, and playful math activity for working on addition facts. Plus, it develops fine motor skills too! Love this math activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. || Gift of Curiosity

Then she determined the total number of links in her chain.

Adding with colored chain links is a fun, hands-on, and playful math activity for working on addition facts. Plus, it develops fine motor skills too! Love this math activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. || Gift of Curiosity

She wrote her answers on her worksheet, and also laid her built chains side by side on the floor.

Adding with colored chain links is a fun, hands-on, and playful math activity for working on addition facts. Plus, it develops fine motor skills too! Love this math activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. || Gift of Curiosity

Yay for fun, engaging, and playful math!

STEAM Kids book

Looking for more hands-on activities that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)? Then you’ll love STEAM Kids! This book features 52 hands-on activities are helpfully identified by category (science / technology / engineering / art / math) so you know exactly what skills your kids are developing.

Grab a copy of the e-book delivered as a PDF download (or this e-book for EU residents) and in print at Amazon.

More resources for teaching math

More math activities from Gift of Curiosity:

  • Building a 3D rainbow measurement activity
  • Matching and ordering by size
  • Venn diagram sorting practice
  • Teaching combinations of 10
  • Estimating an apple’s circumference
  • Introduction to probability
  • Math practice with numbered dice
  • Put the numbers on the clothesline
  • Road numbers


For more activities, resources, and printables for teaching math, see my Math Activities for Kids page and my Math Pinterest board. 

Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Math on Pinterest.

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Filed Under: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, Math

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Hey there, I’m Katie

I help parents who are transitioning into homeschooling shed old mindsets and embrace their homeschooling superpowers so they can create a homeschool they love where their children will thrive.

Learn more about me and what I do HERE.

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