1st grade math worksheets and games

Free 1st grade math worksheets that match the games

This page collects everything a 1st grader practices in math, with printable 1st grade math worksheets and a game for each number skill. The worksheets are made from the same problems as the games, so a child can play a round on the tablet and then do the same kind of problems on paper. Each PDF prints on Letter or A4 paper with an answer key on the last page, and the worksheet generator makes a new set every time you click.

What 1st graders learn in math

1st grade is the year of numbers to 20 and of tens and ones. Following the Common Core, children add and subtract within 20 and use strategies like making 10 (9 + 5 = 10 + 4) and doubles. They learn what the equal sign means, so they can solve 8 + ? = 11 and see that 6 + 4 = 5 + 5 is true. They count to 120, understand that 47 is 4 tens and 7 ones, and add a two-digit number and a one-digit number. They also measure lengths, tell time to the hour and half hour, and split shapes into halves and quarters. The list above links each skill to its game where there is one.

In England

Children of 1st grade age (6-7) are in Year 2 in England, where they learn number bonds to 20, add and subtract two-digit numbers and ones, and start the 2, 5 and 10 times tables. The games here work as KS1 numeracy games too.

Math games for 1st graders

The grade mix above is a short, fun math quiz for 1st graders that asks the skills of the year in one round: sums within 20, tens like 30 + 40, and missing numbers. The answers are four big buttons, so children who don't read well yet can play alone. Make 10 is the best game for the hardest facts of the year (those that cross ten), and the gates runner adds a bit of action. In class, teachers can run the same games in projector mode for the whole group.

How to practice at home

Adding and subtracting is the heart of the year for first graders, and five to ten minutes a day are enough. Play one round, look at the "work on these" list together, and print a sheet of those facts for the weekend. Talk about numbers in daily life: how many forks for the family, how many more stairs to the top. In 1st grade, confidence matters more than speed - praise the strategy ("you made 10 first!") as much as the answer.

Printable math games for 1st grade

Besides the worksheets, the downloads include sheets that work like games: the missing-numbers page can be done as a race between siblings, and the tens-and-ones pictures can be cut out as cards for a matching game. Teachers use them in math centers while one group plays on the whiteboard.