We know that many of our students benefit from using hands-on manipulatives when completing tasks and learning new material... This makes teaching online and the thought of returning to schools with restrictions around items in our classroom/ shared supplies super tricky...
During online / distance learning, I started using interactive manipulatives online with my students! They might not be the traditional "hands-on" materials, but they really helped to support my students! Keep reading to see ideas for using online interactive materials and free websites!
Ways to use online interactive manipulatives:
I'm not creating an extensive list of ideas for using online manipulatives, but just a few a good starting points to get your wheels turning about ways to use them with the materials you already use!
- When using online materials (worksheets, task cards, Google Slides™, etc.) students can split their screen to show the task/ activity & the interactive manipulatives at the same time. It could look something like this >> the interactive clock is on one side and the time task cards are on the other side of the screen:
- You can also use online interactive manipulatives with printed worksheets, task cards, etc. This is a great solution when going back to the classroom and needing to reduce the amount of physical materials in the classroom and shared classroom supplies!
Free websites for interactive manipulatives:
These are my favorite online interactive manipulatives! They are all FREE and don't require you to make a free account or even give up your email address!
- Interactive Clock
- Interactive Number Lines / Charts
- Interactive Ten Frames
- Interactive Dice
- Interactive Ten Frame & Counters
- Interactive Math Problems & Counters
- Interactive Counting Cubes
- Interactive Abacus
- Interactive Bear Counters
- Interactive Base Ten Blocks
- Interactive Place Value Chart
- Elkonin Boxes
- Interactive Letter Tiles
I hope these help you with interactive manipulatives during remote / online learning and when (hopefully!) going back to school in the fall!