4 Amazing Adding and Subtracting Decimals Activities

If you’re an upper elementary teacher looking to add some fun to your adding and subtracting decimals unit then this blog post is for you!

1) Adding and Subtracting Decimals Math Project

Incorporating math projects into your units is a surefire way to boost engagement and help students to love math class.

This math project asks students to add and subtract decimals in order to plan a trip to the movies. They must complete calculations in order to decide which movie theatre to go to, which snacks to order, etc.

Best of all, the entire project is digital so it’s super LOW PREP!

Students need a ton of practice with adding and subtracting decimals but worksheets can get boring quickly. Adding fun projects into the mix helps to break up the monotony.

2) Adding and Subtracting Decimals Dice Game

I love incorporating dice into my math classroom because they add instant engagement to any lesson!

Start by giving each student 2 (or 3 or 4) dice, depending on if you want them to add tenths, hundredths or thousandths.

Next partner kids up.

Each partner will take a turn rolling their dice and making the LARGEST decimal number possible. They will write down their number.

Then the partnership will add their two numbers together and record the answer.

First team to get to 100 wins.

You can also play this game with subtraction. Have students start at 99.9 and the first team to 0 wins.

3) Adding and Subtracting Decimals Digital Escape Room

Digital Escape Rooms make the BEST math review because they literally take 1 minute to assign and require NO MARKING!

Plus once students have completed one digital escape room, they can pretty much complete them independently. Leaving you free to catch up on your marking or tidy up the classroom! Talk about a winning Friday afternoon plan! You could even pull a small group that needs a bit of extra support and work through this activity with them.

Want to try a digital escape room for FREE? Click HERE to grab my Basic Facts Escape From Mars Review game.

4) Adding and Subtracting Decimals Story Problems

Have students create stories with decimal numbers. For example, a student could write a story about a family who goes on vacation and has to use decimal numbers to calculate their budget. This activity is a great way to practice adding and subtracting decimals while also engaging their creative writing skills.

Once students have written their story problems, they can trade with a partner and practice solving. You could even challenge students to see who can solve the most problems in 15 minutes.

Want to incorporate more literature into your math block? Click HERE to read my round-up of the top 5 Math books!

I hope that you are able to incorporate these activities into your math classroom and that they help your students to succeed at adding and subtracting decimals.