Looking for fun math activities for 3rd grade? You’ve come to the right place!
3rd grade math activities
No matter where you are in the year or what your students’ levels are, we have a wide variety of third-grade math games and activities for you. Take a look.
Puzzles about 100
- Fluently use operations within 100.
- Reason abstractly and spatially.
The number 100 is a big deal. It pops up when we talk about place value and percent, and it’s one of the most intimidating base ten blocks! These five puzzles about the number 100 will get your third-grade students’ noggins spinning. Challenge your students to practice not only their operations within 100 but also their abstract thinking skills. These are all appropriate for the 3rd grade classroom, with versions available for both the student and teacher.
Money matters
- Solve word problems involving money and fractions.
- Investigate details of U.S. and foreign coins.
In this activity from our “Forgotten Stories of the Oregon Trail” series, students investigate what coins were like along the Oregon trail, including a strange-sounding six and one-fourth-cent piece. There is a student version and teacher guide available.
In our corner of space
- Operations with numbers over 1 million.
- Model the solar system with mathematics.
Make math fun by making it big. For third graders ready for a challenge, have them compare distances around the solar system. Students get an interstellar taste of how math is used in the real world. In this activity, which includes a student version and teacher guide, students also learn about the planets in our solar system by reading a passage and drawing them.
Find the area!
- Calculate the area of rectangles.
Spin the spinners and make some rectangles! This math game has students playing a two-person game where both players use the spinners to generate the dimensions of rectangles, and whoever’s rectangle has greater area wins the round. This game works well virtually by having the players roll a number cube they own or search for a virtual spinner.
Coins in the U.S.
- Develop understanding of fractions with denominators through 10.
- Investigate details of U.S. coins.
Talk about money! Ka-ching! Dive into why a quarter is called a quarter, and get students practicing social studies skills by researching and analyzing the coin minting process. This activity includes a student and teacher version.
Auto addition
- Perform 2- and 3-digit addition.
Your kiddos might not be allowed to drive yet, but they can still race to the picnic! In this game, players take turns solving addition problems and checking each other’s work. The first player to reach the picnic wins the game.
Inventing toys
- Model a business with mathematics.
- Represent and solve problems involving multiplication.
Get your third graders to imagine they are hustling in the toy industry. They’re responsible for the trendy Abuelito and Abuelita dolls that are sweeping the country. This lesson includes a student and teacher version.
You and your students will need the Important Facts below to complete the lesson.
- Each Abuelita doll comes in a box that is 8 inches wide.
- There are 4 boxes in 1 carton.
- Abuelita Rosa sings 6 songs.
- Abuelito Pancho sings 4 songs.
- Javier sings 5 songs.
- Baby Andrea and Baby Tita each sing 5 songs.
- Baby Mimi plays music but does not sing.
Add mentally!
- Fluently add within 100.
- Critique the reasoning of others.
Turn adding numbers in your head into 3rd grade math games! Players challenge each other with mental addition problems using cards as half of the addends. Note that this game requires cutting out and making cards.
More 3rd grade math activities
Looking for more than just math games for Grade 3? Explore our free games and activities for all subjects and all grades!
***
Grow student confidence in mathematics with HMH Into Math, our core math solution for Grades K–8.
This blog, originally published in 2020, has been updated for 2025.
Be the first to read the latest from Shaped.
