Using Bread Tags as Math Manipulatives

Math can be made fun by using everyday objects as manipulatives.

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Hey all! So do you ever just collect things for no reason and then think "what should I do with these?" Um, me neither? Oh fine. I do. And one thing I kept for no reason were these little plastic tags from packages of bread and rolls and things. I found that they make great, cheap math manipulatives.

So what can you do with them?

Sort! Give a pile to your preschooler and let them sort. Sort by color! Sort by size! Sort by shape! Sort by date on the tag! You get the idea.

Plus if you let them sort into a muffin tin, these make a very satisfying "plink!" noise.

And they can be used for fine motor work. Here I strung up a shoelace between two chairs and Nathan clipped them on. He decided to make a pattern too.

These are also great for counting, adding, subtracting, making patterns etc . . .

So start collecting some plastic tags for a cheap math manipulative at home or in your classroom.

And be sure to explore the other fun math games we've done.

Some of our other favorite math manipulatives which we use on a regular basis (that are not free, haha):

     

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This post is part of the "Math Made Fun" series over on Schooltime Snippets. Be sure to check out the other ways you can use everyday items for math!