Maths Warm Up: Maths Scavenger Hunt

The Sydney Teacher Blog

Maths Warm-Up: Maths Scavenger Hunt

What if your students could turn an ordinary classroom into a maths adventure?

I'm always looking for fun, low-prep ways to get students excited about maths, and this Maths Scavenger Hunt ticks all the boxes! It's a chance to get out of their seats, put on their maths detective hats, and discover just how much maths is hiding in plain sight.

Maths Warm Up: Maths Is All Around Us 3 Reading Maths Warm Up: Maths Scavenger Hunt 2 minutes Next Maths Warm Up: Mystery Number

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Maths Scavenger Hunt

This maths activity is a fun, hands-on way to get students moving, thinking, and discovering just how much maths they can find right in their classroom or school.

How It Works

Give students one of the prompts below, depending on the maths concept you want to focus on. They can work independently, in pairs, or in small groups to find an object that matches the challenge and explain their thinking.

Number

Find a group of objects and describe the total in as many ways as possible (e.g. 8, double 4, or 2 × 4).
Find something with a number on it and share an interesting fact about that number. Is it odd, even, a multiple, a factor, or a square number?
Find a group of objects and represent the total as a fraction, decimal, or percentage of a larger group in the room.

Measurement

Find something approximately 30 cm long.
Find something that weighs about 500 grams.
Find something that could hold approximately 1 litre.

Space

Find an object shaped like a cylinder.
Find something with exactly four right angles.
Find two objects that have the same shape but different sizes.

Want to add a little friendly competition? Set a timer and see which team can complete the most challenges, or ask students to justify their answers before earning a point!

Why It's So Good

• Adds energy to your morning maths routine and encourages active participation.

• Helps students recognise mathematical concepts in everyday objects.

• Students need to explain why their chosen object fits the prompt.

• Adjust the challenges to suit different year levels and abilities.

• Choose your prompts, set your boundaries, and let the hunt begin!

These are just a few ideas to get you started, but the possibilities are endless! Pick a maths focus, send your students on a scavenger hunt, and see what they discover. You might be surprised by the mathematical thinking that comes from simply looking at familiar things in a new way.

Promotional graphic for a digital math warm-up resource titled 'MATHS WARM UP 5-IN-1 DIGITAL HUB' by The Sydney Teacher. The design shows a desktop monitor and tablet mockups displaying different worksheet tabs such as Home, Target Number, Times Table Triangle, Mystery Number, Number Crunch, and Magic Squares.

A promotional graphic for an online maths game platform, showing a laptop screen with the 'Maths Warm-Up Hub' interface. The graphic highlights differentiated learning levels for each game to engage all students, set against a pink background with a yellow arrow pointing to the target number feature.

Promotional graphic for a digital maths resource, featuring a laptop mockup displaying a 'Times Table Triangles' worksheet. The graphic includes the headline 'AN INFINITE NUMBER OF POSSIBLE QUESTIONS, SO YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO PLAN A MATHS WARM UP EVER AGAIN' at the top, set against a light gray background with a pink border.

Promotional graphic for an educational digital worksheet titled 'Number Crunch' shown on a laptop screen mockup. The graphic states the webpage works on both teacher and student devices including IWB, Chromebooks, and iPads.

A promotional graphic for a digital 'Magic Squares' worksheet or online game, displayed on a laptop screen mockup. The graphic features a pink border, black headline text reading 'ALL ARE ANSWERS PROVIDED, SO THERE'S NO NEED TO PREP A SINGLE THING!', and the worksheet interface showing a 3x3 grid with numbers and a working out area.

Maths Warm Up Hub | 5-in-1 Digital Tool

$27.00 AUD $100.00 AUD

BUNDLE & SAVE!

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Start every maths lesson with 100% engagement! The Maths Warm Up Hub brings five interactive, self-marking maths games together in one digital hub, ready to pop up on your board in seconds. There's no printing and no prep, and with a brand new question at every click, you'll never have to plan a maths warm up again.

Inside the Hub you'll find:

Target Number: students use all five numbers, with any operation, to hit the target. There's often more than one way to get there, which makes for great maths talk.

Times Table Triangles: students multiply and divide around the triangle to find the missing corners and sides.

Mystery Number: students use five clues about place value, multiples and digits to crack the mystery number.

Number Crunch: a chain of operations lands one step at a time, and students keep a running total to race to the final answer.

Magic Squares: students fill the grid so every row, column and diagonal adds to the same total, with whole numbers and decimals on 3×3 and 4×4 grids.

Bonus: The Spinner. Spin the wheel and let it pick today's warm up, complete with confetti and a "ta-da!". The kids love finding out which game they'll get.

Every game has at least 3 levels so you can pitch it perfectly for your class, plus an optional timer, a Working Out box for modelling your thinking, and the full answer ready to reveal when you want it. Students can type their answers for an instant tick or cross.

It works on any interactive whiteboard, laptop, Chromebook or iPad, so you can use it at the front of the room or share it with students to play on their own devices.

Choose your licence:

Just me: for one teacher and their class.
Me + up to 5 teachers: share with up to 6 teachers in total.
Whole school: unlimited teachers at one school.

After purchase you'll download a PDF with your link, QR code and password, so you can start your very next maths lesson with it.