How to Set Up Math Centers

When setting up your math centers start with the end result in mind. What math skills do you want your students to master? Math Centers are a way to review and master math skills with your students in a meaningful way. Setting up your math centers doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. Follow the steps for math center success in your classroom.

Math Centers for Review

Math Centers, also known as math stations, are learning stations in your classroom that help students practice math skills. Math Centers provide an opportunity for students to independently or in small groups work together to solve problems. While students are working, the teacher is the facilitator in the process. The teacher can choose to circulate the classroom or work from a teacher center group. The purpose of centers is to review, not teach new concepts.

How to Set Up Math Centers

Step #1 Choose Your Centers

When doing math centers for review, it’s important to take into account how many students you have in your classroom and how many math centers you want to have. A good rule of thumb is no more than 4 students at a math center. For example, if I have 24 kids in my classroom, I would need 6 math centers.

Now that you have an estimate of how many students and centers you need. What do you choose for the math centers? There are many ways to differentiate your math review with math centers. Here are some center ideas: activity, applications, game, practice, word problems, seat work, technology, vocabulary, and teacher center.

Here’s an example of what a math center rotation chart looks like:

Step #2 Choose Your Math Review

Now that you’ve chosen your center structure, let’s look at what to do at each center for math review. From the center ideas given in step #1, you have chosen which ones you would like to execute. The next step is to pick an activity that reviews one specific math skill. Each center task card should have clear instructions and a goal of mastering one specific math skill. Choose which one skill your students need to review for your grade level.

Step #3 Prep Your Math Centers

Get your materials together for your math centers. Print all task cards, center instructions, and table tents necessary for setting up your classroom math centers. Have them ready to go in a Math Center Prep box as shown below. This helps save time with materials ready to go all in one storage place.

Step #4 Set Procedures for Math Centers

Before you begin letting students do each math center activity, set the procedures for how math centers will run in your classroom. Explain your expectations for math centers. Be explicit about any rules you want your students to follow. Practice or role play one rotation of math centers with your students. This will help them to see and understand how to properly rotate from center to center.

Step #5 Flexible Math Centers

Last but not least, be flexible with your math center choices. If you decide that one type of math center does not work well for you or your students, remove it. You can always switch out or change math centers. Be flexible in regards to the big picture. Ask yourself, “Does this math center help my students review the concept?” If it does great, if not, then find another type of activity that will.

Math Center Tips

When going through the process of Math Centers for the first time you may have some questions about how to run centers more smoothly. Here are some tips that have helped students stay on task and more engaged in math centers.

Be consistent with your procedures. Students love and need structure. Math centers provides that for students. Work on getting a math centers routine that is consistent with reviewing math skills that your students need.
Use only white boards at the teacher station. Students love to write on white boards. As a result, writing on a white board with a dry erase marker can be seen as an incentive to work and solve math problems.
Include a technology station. The best station for students to be challenged is at a technology center. Does your classroom have a subscription to a math website? Use that center time for the students to log in and solve problems on their level. This is great for remediation and an easy math intervention to set up.

Have fun with Math Centers

Math Centers are a very powerful tool for students. It helps students make sense of a math skill in many different ways. From vocabulary to applications and word problems, there are many good aspects to math centers. The most important part is to invite your students to have fun at each center and enjoy the activities they’re doing.