Testing weeks and schedule shake-ups always seemed to throw a wrench into my normal routine. Whether it was early dismissals, unexpected assemblies, or rotating classes due to standardized testing, those days were tough to plan for. That’s where having a few reliable math review activities in my back pocket really came in handy. They helped me make the most of those awkward blocks of time while still keeping things academic and engaging.
Instead of powering through another worksheet, I leaned into quick games and hands-on practice that got my students thinking without burning them out. And. . . these weren’t over-the-top or time-consuming to prep. They were just simple ways to reinforce skills, spark some friendly competition, and make good use of class time when everything else felt off.
Those Small Chunks of Time Really Matter
When the schedule gets messy, it’s easy to let those little pockets of time slip by. But using those five to fifteen minute blocks intentionally can make a big difference. Whether it’s the ten minutes before lunch or the stretch between testing and dismissal, those small chunks add up. Math review activities can help you sneak in skill practice without the pressure of a full lesson.
A quick game, a math riddle, or a collaborative challenge keeps your students engaged while reinforcing what they’ve learned. It also shows them that their time is valuable. Every minute can be used to grow, review, and feel successful. You’re not just filling space. You’re building momentum, even when the day feels scattered.
With that mindset in place, the best thing you can do is to keep a few quick and easy math review activities ready to go. Not sure where to start? Keep reading! I have some ideas for you. These ideas are easy to implement and perfect for those unpredictable moments when the regular schedule is out the window.
Boost Focus and Energy With Brain Breaks During Testing Week
Testing weeks can be tough on your students, mentally, physically, and emotionally. After spending hours sitting still and concentrating on high-stakes tests, their brains are simply exhausted. That’s why building intentional brain breaks into your schedule is more than just a nice extra. It’s a smart strategy to keep learning going strong.
Research shows that short bursts of movement, laughter, and low-pressure activities can actually help your students recharge their brains and improve memory retention, especially after periods of intense focus. Using math review activities as brain breaks gives your students a much-needed chance to shift gears without stepping away from academics. It brings energy back into the room while still reinforcing important math skills in a fun and low-stress way.
Even ten to fifteen minutes of a whiteboard race, a scavenger hunt, or a quick digital game can reset their focus and build momentum for the rest of the day. During a week that often feels overwhelming, these intentional breaks help your students stay motivated, confident, and ready to tackle whatever comes next.
Grab Your Whiteboards and Markers and Get Ready to Race!
One of the easiest math review activities you can use during testing season or schedule disruptions is a whiteboard race. It’s quick, low-prep, and gives you an instant snapshot of how your students are doing with key skills.
Give each student a whiteboard, marker, and eraser. Write a review question on the board. This could be anything from solving an equation to finding the area of a triangle. Set a timer for one to two minutes and have your students solve the problem on their boards. When time is up, call out “Show your boards!” and have everyone hold up their answers at the same time.
Take a quick scan of the responses and offer immediate feedback. If most of your students answered the question correctly, move on to the next one. If you notice common mistakes, pause for a quick reteach before jumping into the next round. You can keep it casual or turn it into a simple competition by awarding points for correct answers, fastest correct answers, or even the clearest work shown.
Add in even more excitement by trying the game Race to Five! Place your students into teams or keep them solo. When called, two students or someone from each team comes to the board (or picks up their whiteboard) to await the question you give them to solve. Your students earn a point each time they answer a problem correctly. The first student (or team) to reach five points wins a small prize or a classroom privilege. You can even throw in a bonus point if they not only solve it correctly but also explain how they got their answer. It’s a great way to keep everyone motivated, even during shorter or unpredictable class periods.
Math Review Activities With Task Cards and Stations
Task card stations are perfect for filling those longer chunks of time that pop up between testing blocks. Set up a few stations around the room with different review topics and have students rotate through them in pairs or small groups. Use printed cards, or digital versions if you have access to devices.
These stations give your students a chance to move, collaborate, and revisit key concepts without feeling overwhelmed. Stations can be adjusted for different levels or skills. Check out my Footloose task cards that cover a range of math concepts to display around room.
Try incorporating a game-like format, such as “Showdown,” where your students compete in small groups to solve problems and explain their thinking. This keeps everyone engaged and adds a little friendly competition.
To play Showdown, you start by putting students into small groups. Groups of 3 – 5 students work best. They will also have a set of cards on the table. These will be the questions they will use. To keep it low prep and easy, grab a set of task cards on the skill you want to review. Choose one student to be the leader in the first round. That person will flip over the first card and read it to the group. Each person in the group will then find the answer to the question.
Once everyone is done, the leader will have each person share their answer. If everyone in the group has the same answer, they move on. But if even one person has a different answer, then the group will explain their answer and how they got it. It becomes a group effort to find the mistake and fix it before moving on. When the group is ready to move on, the next person becomes the leader, and they repeat the process.
Test Your Students’ Knowledge with a Jeopardy-Style Game
A Jeopardy-style game is one of those math review activities that instantly brings energy into the room. It also works beautifully for whole-class review. It’s especially perfect for those tricky transition days when you want students to be engaged but still think critically.
You can use a free Jeopardy template online or a tool like Flippity to build your game board. Choose five categories that fit the skills you want to review. Think topics like Operations, Geometry, Word Problems, Fractions, or Equations. Under each category, create five questions of increasing difficulty, with point values from 100 to 500. Many templates even let you grab pre-made questions and adjust them quickly to match what you’ve been working on.
When it’s game time, divide your class into small teams. I recommend about three to four students per team. Teams take turns picking a category and point value. After hearing the question, they have a set amount of time to give their answer. The amount of time may vary depending on the question. You can decide whether to allow other teams to “steal” the question if the first team gets it wrong.
To keep things running smoothly, you might want a student volunteer or a second adult (if available) to help keep score. Adding a small prize like a homework pass, classroom privilege, or a Jolly Rancher keeps motivation high without creating too much pressure.
These math review activities encourage collaboration, strategic thinking, and a healthy dose of competition. Plus, because you’re the one writing or choosing the questions, it’s easy to customize the content to match whatever unit or skill your students need most.
Get Students Up and Moving With a Math Scavenger Hunt
If your students are feeling sluggish after a long morning of testing, adding movement to your math review activities can make all the difference. A math scavenger hunt is the perfect way to combine physical activity with academic review. Plus, it’s easy to set up.
You can start by writing or printing out math problems on separate sheets of paper and posting them around your classroom. You can even stretch them into the hallway if you have permission. Number each problem clearly. Give each student (or pair of students) a clipboard, pencil, and a recording sheet with numbered spaces that match the posted problems. Then, have your students walk from problem to problem, solving each one and recording their answers as they go.
You can keep it simple with straightforward problems. Consider spicing it up by creating a challenge, like hiding some questions behind objects or under desks for a true scavenger hunt feel. If you want to add a digital twist, create QR codes that your students can scan with a device to reveal each question. Either way, the goal is to get them moving and thinking at the same time.
This style of math review is especially helpful for your kinesthetic learners who benefit from getting out of their seats. It also allows for easy differentiation. You can post a few bonus challenge questions for early finishers or provide hints at certain stations for your students who need extra support. The movement naturally resets students’ brains after heavy testing sessions and keeps the energy positive without losing focus on skill practice.
Math Review Activities With a Mystery Challenge
When your students need something more immersive during testing weeks, turning math review activities into a mystery challenge can add just the right level of excitement. A good mystery grabs their attention, keeps them focused, and makes even tough math practice feel like an adventure.
Start out by creating a storyline where your students must solve a series of math problems to unlock clues and solve the mystery. You can either use a ready-to-print math mystery packet or make a DIY version. For a simple DIY setup, write or print a set of 5 to 10 math problems. After solving each problem, your students receive a clue that helps them get closer to solving the mystery. This could be eliminating a suspect, finding a hidden location, or cracking a secret code.
Place each problem and its corresponding clue inside envelopes or folders around the room. Students work in pairs or small groups. They move from envelope to envelope as they solve each part of the puzzle. You can set it up like a traditional escape room, where solving one problem unlocks the next, or make all the clues available at once and let students choose the order.
These types of math review activities are perfect for encouraging deeper thinking, teamwork, and perseverance. Your students need to slow down, check their work carefully, and apply what they know in a fun way. Plus, the element of mystery keeps motivation high, even when energy is low after a long day of testing.
Go Digital With No-Prep Games Like Kahoot or Blooket
When plans change at the last minute, as they often do during testing season, no-prep digital games can save the day. Platforms like Kahoot, Blooket, or Gimkit make it easy to launch math review activities in just a few minutes, with no extra printing or preparation needed.
Choose a platform that works best for your students. Kahoot is great for timed multiple-choice quizzes. Blooket offers a variety of game modes, such as Gold Quest or Tower Defense. Gimkit blends quizzing with strategy games, where your students earn points and shop for power-ups. You can search for pre-made math games by topic, like fractions, equations, or percent problems. You can also quickly build your own by typing in a few questions based on your current unit.
Once your game is ready, project the game code on the board and have your students join on their devices. Your students can play individually or in teams, depending on your time and the atmosphere you want to create. During the game, questions appear one at a time. Students race to answer them correctly for points or rewards. You can adjust settings like time limits, randomization of questions, or even whether wrong answers have penalties, depending on the platform.
These math review activities are fast-paced, highly engaging, and a great way to sneak in skill practice when your students need a mental reset. Plus, many platforms provide instant data reports so you can see which skills might need a little more attention. All of this while your students feel like they’re just playing a game.
Additional Digital Resources
One digital resource that can be a lifesaver during testing weeks or days with an unpredictable schedule is the Digital Math Activities site. With over 50 self-paced online activities and lifetime access included, it’s a great tool to have in your back pocket all year long.
These activities are perfect for keeping your students engaged when you need something academic but low-prep. You’ll find pixel art, truth-or-dare games, Jeopardy-style reviews, color-by-number tasks, and self-checking task cards. They are all designed specifically for upper elementary and middle school students. The activities work on almost any device, including Chromebooks, tablets, and laptops, making them easy to use no matter your tech setup.
Whether you’re filling short chunks of time, managing early finishers, or needing something meaningful while testing wraps up, this site gives you plenty of math review activities to choose from. Since access never expires, you can keep using the materials year after year without worrying about subscriptions or renewals. It’s one of those tools that can really help you keep things running smoothly, even when the schedule isn’t.
Keep Math Review Activities Easy and Engaging
Testing season doesn’t have to mean lost learning time. With a few flexible math review activities in your toolkit, you can keep your students thinking and reviewing, even when the schedule is far from normal. Whether it’s through quick games, movement-based activities, or digital tools, these strategies can help keep your class on track without adding more to your plate. When the structure of the day is out of your hands, lean into what you can control, which is creating moments for your students to connect with math, build confidence, and enjoy learning. Yes, even in the middle of a chaotic week!
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