Addition Bus Craft

As you wrap up your lessons on addition within 20, why not consolidate your students' learning with a hands-on, visual activity? A delightful school bus math craft is an excellent way to reinforce addition skills while integrating fine motor development and creating a vibrant classroom display. Here’s how you can make math come alive with this engaging project!

Why This Craft Works

Visual Learning: 

The school bus craft provides a tangible way for students to see and understand addition. By combining visual elements with math practice, students can better grasp addition concepts.

Fine Motor Skills: 

As students color, cut, and assemble their school buses, they’ll be honing their fine motor skills—skills that are crucial for writing and other classroom tasks.

Classroom Display: 

Once completed, the craft can be proudly displayed, creating a visual reference for addition facts and adding a colorful touch to your classroom environment.

Steps for the School Bus Math Craft

Materials Needed:

• Printable pages from your teaching resource pack (school bus template and ten frames)
• Crayons or paint
• Scissors
• Glue
• Real plastic counters (optional)

1. Prepare the Materials: 

Print out the school bus template and ten frames from your resource pack. Ensure each student has their own set of materials.

2. Introduce the Craft:

Explain to students that they will be creating a school bus and using it to practice addition. Show them how the ten frames will fit into the base of the bus, and how the bus topper will complete their craft.

3. Hands-On Practice: 

Before recording their addition, let students use real plastic counters to experiment with different addition problems. This hands-on activity helps them visualize addition and understand how to fill the ten frames.

4. Create the School Bus:

Color and Paint: Students start by coloring or painting their school bus template.
Cut and Assemble: Once the bus is colored, students cut out the parts and assemble the bus by attaching the topper and base to the ten frames.
Glue and Record: After assembling, students glue the parts together and then record their addition problem on the ten frames using numerals.

5. Display and Review: 

Once all buses are complete, display them in the classroom. Students can review each other’s addition sentences and use the display as a reference for future math problems.

Math Warm-Up: "On the Bus"

To continue reinforcing addition skills, begin the next math lesson with a fun warm-up game titled “On the Bus”:

Objective: 

Review addition facts from the classroom display in a playful, interactive way.

How to Play:

Form Teams: Divide the class into small teams.

Bus Ride: 

Imagine each team is taking a ride on the math bus. Each stop on the bus represents a different addition fact from the classroom display.

Draw from the Display: 

The teacher calls an addition question - e.g. 14+3 and someone from each team writes or draws an addition fact (using the classroom display if needed) to solve it, using a whiteboard or paper.

Answer and Score: 

Teams take turns answering the addition facts. Award points for correct answers and encourage discussion about different strategies used.

Benefits:

• Reinforces addition facts in a dynamic way.
• Utilizes the classroom display as a learning tool.
• Encourages teamwork and active participation.

This school bus math craft not only helps students solidify their understanding of addition but also enhances their fine motor skills and adds a creative flair to your classroom. By incorporating hands-on activities and visual aids, you’re making math both fun and effective. And don’t forget to kick off your next lesson with “On the Bus” for an engaging review of addition facts!

Happy teaching and crafting! Find more back to school ideas here.