K.I.T. stands for "Kids Into Thinking", and these math KITs are a great way for children to practice math facts at home using a different game (in a kit) each week. The games use simple, inexpensive or free, easy-to-obtain materials so that students only need to provide flashcards. (You can print these off for them from the internet). Since I teach third grade, my KITs are for multiplication facts, but could just as easily be used for addition and subtraction. Each KIT can be used for one or more multiplication tables (or addition/subtraction fact families) at a time, depending on which flashcards and materials are chosen by the student.
You can download specific KIT direction record sheets (forms shown in photos below) here.
I used zip-close baggies and the boxes that Scholastic book orders come in to hold the KITs, but you could use shoe boxes, plastic containers, mini backbacks, or anything else you want. I printed the forms and stuck them inside the KITs with the materials that are listed on the forms. Since I have 20 students and only 10 different KITs, I made two of each KIT. Students #-10 shared one set of KITs, and students #11-20 shared the other set of KITs. If you have more than 20 students, you could make additional KITs using other math games you have.
Each Monday, students returned their old KIT and signed out a new one. I checked to make sure that no materials were missing or damaged. You could keep a record of who has had which KIT, or you could just collect them once a week and let the children choose their own. Students cannot check out a new KIT until the old one is returned.
KITs were checked out weekly until each child had a chance to use every KIT (ten weeks). Students used them to practice whichever multiplication table we were studying that week (there was an in-school quiz weekly). This was long enough to cover
I used these when I taught in an upper-middle class neighborhood, and had materials lost or damaged several times. Because the items were not expensive, and I knew that most of my kids were actually using the KITs, I didn't mind having to replace things periodically. If you teach in an area, as I now do, in which students frequently lose or damage things sent home and have little parental support, you may want to have the KITs available only for classroom use, or make only KITs that are easy and cheap to replace. Regardless of your teaching situation, it's a good idea to have an extra set of KITs so that you can immediately replace them when needed. Children can play the KIT games by themselves or with other children, but they benefit the most from having an adult nearby to facilitate as needed. You'll need to determine for yourself whether your students will responsibly use the materials and transport them safely to and from school. If you stress to your kids that these KITs are very special and you spent a long time making them all yourself so that they would have a fun way to learn math, most of children will try to take very good care of them.
