5th Grade September Math Centers, Games, & Activities

[Our September math activities are available for third, fourth, and fifth grade.]

September’s Monthly Activities are all about getting students excited about math and engaging all regardless of their skill level.

Whether you’re a new teacher or a veteran, love teaching math or fear it, it’s time to get excited, build bonds with your students, and share positives memories during your math block. 

By fifth grade, there may be a wide skills gap in your students’ math abilities. Regardless of where your students are, help them achieve more by providing low-stakes opportunities to engage with math content and have positive peer interactions. There is something for everyone including games, puzzles, secret codes, and a word search.

These fall-themed activities are specifically designed to help differentiate for your students. Each resource has two different levels practicing the same skill. Look for • and •• to identify lower and higher levels. Activities are Common Core & TEKS aligned and focus on foundational 5th grade skills.

Print in color and create a reusable center with a sheet protector or create handouts with black and white versions.

I hope you and your students find joy and excitement in each of these activities!

Let’s take a closer look at what September’s bundle includes.

• Converting Measurement Puzzle
• Common Multiples & Factors and Adding & Subtracting Fractions Mini-Books
• Two Truths & a Lie: Comparing Decimals
• Guess My Shape Game
• Squirrels & Foxes Division Game
• Rounding Pie Game
• Labor Day Facts: Equations with Parentheses
• Number Forms Word Search

Converting Measurement Puzzle

Puzzles make a great independent center. Students can solve the problems first, then check their own work as they look for the answers to glue on top.

The lower and higher level puzzles look the same while focusing on slightly different skills involving measurement conversions for weight, time, distance, and volume including decimals.

BONUS Included: Measurement Conversion Poster

Common Multiples & Factors and Adding & Subtracting Fractions Mini-Books

Make in the fall, but keep using all year!

The first book provides a simple introduction to common factors and multiples giving explanations and examples as well as a few practice problems. The second book uses what students have learned about common factors and multiples to create common denominators to add and subtract fractions. 

Have students create the books in a center, read through the examples, and try the problems on their own. Then, come together for a class discussion to share what they learned, ask questions, or explain the most efficient way to find common factors and multiples.

Two Truths and a Lie – Comparing Decimals

If this game isn’t already in your teacher bag of tricks, add it now! You’ll be playing it all year long.

A student (or teacher) shares three facts about themself, except only two are true and one statement is false. Other students try to guess which is the false statement.

For this activity, students spot the lie out of 3 decimal number comparison statements. Great for a math center or partner activity for your students who need more support.

Guess My Shape Game

Do you need a math center that is just plain fun? Or would you like to reward your class for a job well done? This game is perfect! 

Remember Guess Who? The little faces, asking yes or no questions, flipping down the faces until there’s only one left…

For this game, the people have turned into shapes! Students can choose any shape they’d like, then take turns eliminating them until they can guess their partner’s shape. The lower level has 2D shapes and higher level has 3D solids. 

Not only do students LOVE this game, they use a lot of mathematical vocabulary too. All shapes and solids are labeled, so students can play even if you haven’t covered any geometry standards yet.

Play it with your students now, then make a few extra copies and add it to your emergency sub plans for that day you’re not feeling well. Your sub will thank you!

Squirrels & Foxes Division Game

Warning: This game is addicting. Your students (or you!) may want to keep playing even after the recess bell has rung!

This game is best with the whole class in 2-4 teams, but could be used in a small group. Record sheets hold all students accountable, but playing on a team helps support struggling students. Also, this is great for a sub once your students have played a couple times.

I remember playing this as a kid and being crazy about it. Here’s the gist:

You’re a squirrel collecting acorns. On your turn, you can “collect” as many as you’d like, but you have to watch out for the fox. Most cards have acorn numbers (as a division expression) on them, but some cards have foxes. Foxes steal all your acorns for the round, or make you lose your turn if picked first.

If you avoid the fox and choose for the round to be over, you can hide all your acorns so the fox can’t steal them the next round.

Please, can we play again?!

Rounding Pie Game

This game is great for centers and is played with two players.

Students are collecting apples to make apple pie. They use spinners to determine moves and what place value to round to. They collect 2 apples for rounding up and 1 apple when rounding down. The player with the most apples at the end is the winner.

The record sheet allows you to see student work and hold them accountable at their independent math center.

Labor Day Facts – Equations with Parentheses

This two page worksheet is great for the first week in September to teach about Labor Day. Students solve equations with parentheses, then match answers to fill in the blanks to learn about the holiday.

This works great as an independent center since students can self-check answers as they solve the code. If the facts about Labor Day don’t make sense, they know they’ve made a mistake somewhere and can go back to check.

When students finish, there are prompts for students to think and share in a class discussion their own thoughts about Labor Day.

Number Forms Word Search

Finally….a math word search!! Add this to a math center, assign as homework, leave for a sub, include in an early finishers packet. This has so many great options depending on what hole you need to fill in your planning.

The word search is the same, but the lower level has students reading and writing decimal numbers while the higher level uses expanded notation to add or multiply and then write number names.

September Math Freebie Worksheet

Fill out the for below to receive a free September Math Worksheet!

View the Grade Level Bundles

Purchase the bundles and save!

• Monthly themed games, puzzles, riddles, coloring, and more!
• 2 levels for differentiation
• BW & Color
• Answer Keys