How much math should a first grader do over winter break?
About 10 minutes a day on weekdays is a sensible amount for most first graders over winter break. Skip the worksheets: short games that practise making ten and adding within 20 keep facts warm, and taking holidays fully off is fine. Consistency matters more than length.
The plan above follows that rule. It skips weekends, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and rotates seven no-prep games so no two days in a row are the same. Change the dates and it rebuilds.
Why make ten? The Common Core first-grade standard 1.OA.C.6 asks children to add and subtract within 20 and names "making ten" and "decomposing a number leading to a ten" as strategies. If your child can find the partner for any number to make 10, most of first-grade addition gets easier.
Ten minutes a day, games not worksheets, holidays off.
Your day-by-day plan
Print it with your browser's print button; the planner and buttons hide on paper.
The seven no-prep games
Cards, 10 minMake-10 pairs
Take the face cards out of a deck (ace = 1). Lay out 12 cards face up. Take any two that make 10 and replace them. Count your pairs at the end.
Snacks, 5 minHidden ten
Count 10 crackers, then hide some under a cup while your child looks away. "I see 6. How many are hiding?" Swap roles.
Car or walk, 5 minDoubles call-out
You say "4", they say "8". Go to 10 + 10, then mix them up. Then try near doubles: "if 6 + 6 is 12, what is 6 + 7?"
Paper, 10 minBridge through ten
Write 8 + 5. Ask: "What does 8 need to make 10?" (2). "What is left of the 5?" (3). So 10 + 3 = 13. Do three more.
Dice, 10 minRace to 20
Take turns rolling one die and adding to your total. Say each new total out loud. First to exactly 20 wins; overshoot and you stay put.
Egg carton, 10 minTen-frame snack
Cut two cups off a dozen-egg carton to make a ten-frame. Drop in some cereal. "How many full? How many empty? What makes 10?"
Screen, 10 minNumber Beasts Daily Lab
One fresh puzzle a day, checked as solvable, playable offline. Your child launches a number at a beast and makes exactly 10 to pop it. Sit with them for the first one.
Six of the seven need only things already in the house.
Honest limits
- This plan keeps facts warm; it will not catch a child up if they are far behind. If your child's teacher has flagged math, ask them what to practise over break.
- Number Beasts is a puzzle game, not a curriculum. It practises bonds to 10 (and 15 and 20 in the last world) and planning. It does not teach subtraction, place value or word problems directly.
- Every stage can be won, but later worlds add mirrors, splitters and converters. Most first graders will want a grown-up nearby after the first world.
What Number Beasts looks like
Our design decision: the number is the projectile. Fall short and the beast grows; overshoot and the leftover keeps flying. A child sees "7 into a 5 leaves 2" happen, which is the same bridge-through-ten idea as the paper game above.
Winter break options, side by side
If you set screen-time rules for the holidays, the American Academy of Pediatrics' Family Media Plan tool on HealthyChildren.org lets you write them down together. Our plan uses a screen on one day in seven.
Mix them: cards most days, one screen day, a workbook only if your child likes it.
Who should pick something else
- Children not yet counting to 10 reliably: start with counting games and real objects first.
- Second graders and up who already know their make-ten facts cold: try place-value or subtraction games instead.
- Families who want a full screen-free break: use the six paper games and skip the app. The plan still works.
Parent questions
Will my child forget math over winter break?
Two or three weeks off is a short gap. A few minutes of games on most days keeps facts fresh, so the first week back can feel easier.
What math should a first grader know by the middle of the year?
Ask the teacher for your child's level. Many first-grade classes are working on adding and subtracting within 20 and on making ten, which matches standard 1.OA.C.6.
Is Number Beasts free?
Yes. It is free to download with no ads, no accounts, no tracking and no in-app purchases, and everything works offline.
Can we do this on a road trip?
Yes. Doubles call-out works in the car with no materials, and the Daily Lab in Number Beasts plays offline.
Further reading for parents: the Institute of Education Sciences' 2013 practice guide, Teaching Math to Young Children, which recommends daily math time and helping children see math in their everyday world.
Play free on iPhone. Make ten.
45 handcrafted stages, a Daily Lab and a Beast Workshop. VoiceOver labels and Reduce Motion support.
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