The primary school maths curriculum is full of standards built around the different angles. So how do you make this fundamental geometric concept fun for kids? Angle games and activities to the rescue!
The teachers here at the Teach Starter offices have been having a little too much fun (if there is such a thing!) digging deep into the ways we can make maths classes extra engaging, and we knew we needed to include ways to work in some ways to teach primary pupils how to identify simple angles, how to calculate and identify different configurations of angle and more.
The result is this fun list of games and activities for your maths classes.
Before you begin, don’t forget to print out protractors for your pupils!
Fun Angles Games & Activities for Kids
Look for Angles in Letters
To kick things off, we’ve got a simple activity to teach kids about different angles with a real-world application. Have your pupils use a ruler to create the first letter of their first name. The letters should be outlined and squared off — no rounding — like the H below.
Then, with the ruler, have each child draw random lines within their letter and colour as they wish. What does this have to do with angles? Simple! Pupils then need to find as many angles as possible within the letter and measure each angle!
Go on a Right Angle Hunt
Right angles are all around us — from the corners where the legs of the desk meet the top to the spots where thevertical and horizontal components of the door frame meet. Challenge your pupils to work as angle hunters to find them.
Pair pupils with a peer, and send each pair on a right angle hunt to find as many as they can, recording where it was found. After the allotted time, bring the children back together as a class, and ask each pair of angle hunters to share one or two of the right angles they discovered during the activity.
As an extension activity, you can go beyond right angles and the classroom door. Challenge pupils to identify other angles they observe in the classroom or around the school.
Measure Angles in Pictures
Finding angles is more fun on a cute picture of a dog, don’t you think?Print this dog picture, hand out a protractor,and let the angle finding begin!
This angle activity could be done individually, or you can print it onto a larger piece of paper and provide small groups with a copy. Each pupil in the group could be allocated a particular angle to find, or the sheet could be passed around for each child to find one angle at a time!
When they’ve worked their way through the entire dog, challenge pupils to measure the angles on a birthday cake or a pencil.
Play Angles Bingo Games
Is there ever a time when kids don’t like Bingo? We haven’t found one! Our pupils love yelling ‘BINGO’ at the top of their lungs when they play this fun angles game.
Check out Angles Bingo for a classroom game that will help them learn the differences between obtuse, right, and acute angles and then some!
Washi Tape Fun!
How much do you love washi tape? Probably about as much as we love this angle activity for kids that puts this sticky stuff to use. In this activity, pupils stick bits of it all over a piece of card.
Then they need to find and measure the angles they’ve just created. This ‘find the angles’ activity could also be done directly on pupils’ desks, using a whiteboard marker and, of course, their trusty protractors.
Name the Angles Take Two
We already mentioned that you can use the first letter of a child’s name for a fun angles activity. Why not increase the challenge by having pupils write out the entire name?
Using a grid paper template, instruct pupils to use a ruler to write their entire name in pencil on the grid paper. Once again, each letter should be squared off without any curved edges. Pupils then trace over their name with a maker and find each of the angles in their name. If their first name is short, they may wish to include their last name as well.
As an extension activity, pupils could find reflex and straight angles.
Play I Have, Who Has? Angles Game
Use this whole-class game as an angles activity to reinforce pupils’ understanding of complementary and supplementary angles. Print and cut out the game cards, and provideeach pupil with a card.
The pupil who has the sentence ‘I am the starter’begins the game by standing up and reading their card. Once they have read their clue, the pupil who hasthe matching complementary or supplementary angle on their card stands up andreads what is on their card.
The game continues until the last person calls out that they’re finished.
Create Angle Clappers
Angles and all their different names can be confusing, but this angle clappers activity with a Hollywood feel makes the concept more concrete.
These Angle Clappers take a bit of construction time, but they’re well worth it when they are done. Use these angle clappers to interactively show the different angles and their properties.
Measure Door Angles
This is a fun angle activity for kids that has real-world application. Using washi tape or painter’s tape that can easily be removed from the classroom floor, plus an angle maker, challenge pupils to measure out the different angles the classroom door can hit as you open and close it.
Thanks to Middle School Math Man for the image!
