10 Summer Math Activities for 5th Graders
Five Outdoor and Five Indoor Activities to Keep 5th Graders Sharp All Summer
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published:
July 2026
Key takeaways
- • 5th graders should be comfortable measuring area, perimeter, and distance.
- • Word problems come up frequently in middle school, so 5th graders should make sure to review how to solve them during the summer.
- • Summer math activities can make learning fun for 5th graders, whether they are a fan of math or not.
Over 70% of students experience summer slide every year, and without review and practice, it’s easy for 5th graders to forget a lot of what they learned throughout the year. That means they show up to school in September with a big gap in their knowledge!
You can bridge that gap in math with educational—and entertaining—activities during the summer months.
These 10 summer math activities for 5th grade make math fun and exciting, no matter how good a math student you are!
5 Summer Math Outdoor Activities
The following five activities are meant to get you moving! More movement leads to better oxygen flow, which ultimately means better brain function. So, why not combine movement with math for the ultimate summer learning experience?
1. Secure the Perimeter
Students in 5th grade should be familiar with large-scale measurements. So for this activity, participants can use a measuring tape to measure the perimeter of a room, field, park, or property.
Not only does this activity improve students’ measuring abilities, but it inspires observation and exploration and demonstrates how math can be used in real life. After all, math doesn’t just exist on a piece of paper or a blackboard!
To make this activity more exciting for creative students, they can pretend they are spies or secret agents who need to “secure the perimeter” by measuring it.
Additionally, students who find measuring perimeter to be too simple can make this activity harder by also calculating the location’s area.
2. Order of Operations Hopscotch
This take on the classic game of hopscotch replaces the traditional numbered grid with an equation!
Start by writing an equation out on the pavement with chalk. This should be a multi-step equation with various operations. For instance, x = 4 + 5(3 x 8) – 6.
Players then stand at the start of the equation and throw their marker, just as they would in regular hopscotch. However, instead of starting with 1 and hopping up to 10, players must hop through the equation according to the order of operations, picking up their marker as they go.
As they hop, they can try solving the equation as well.
Using the example of the equation above, players should begin by hopping on the 3 x 8 in the parentheses, then the 5, then the 4, and then the 6.
Choose the complexity of the equation you use based on the players’ math proficiency. Remember, this should be fun, not impossible!
3. Measurement Estimation
Being able to estimate lengths and distances is an important skill to have going into middle school, and strengthening that skill will not only help students feel more confident in the classroom but will also allow them to see the world through a mathematical lens.
For this activity, start by choosing a length or distance. It could be the length of a room in your house, the height of a playground, or the distance from one store to another. Then, estimate the measurement.
Finally, use a ruler, tape measure, or map to see if your estimation was correct.
If there are multiple players and they each have different estimations, you can turn this activity into a friendly challenge. The player who estimates the measurement best can win a point or a prize!
For an extra challenge, once you know the correct measurement, try converting that into different units.
4. Target Practice
To play this exciting activity, set up a beanbag toss game where players earn different amounts of points based on where their beanbag lands (think of an archery target). As players toss their beanbags, have them keep track of their score by adding their points up in their head.
The number of points players earn for tossing their beanbag onto the specific sections of the target is how you can control the mathematical difficulty of this activity.
To make things challenging, use multi-digit numbers for the points system. For instance, landing in one area could earn a player 130 points, while landing in another area could earn the player 250 points.
The player with the most points once all the beanbags are thrown wins!
5. Real World Word Problems
Fifth graders should be familiar with word problems and know how to solve them—they’ll come up a lot in middle school!
For summer practice with word problems, try making your own based on real-world scenarios. If you go to a store, you can make a word problem about how much money you’ll need in total, or how much change you’ll get back after your purchase.
If you’re at the park, try coming up with a problem about the park’s size, the distance between objects, or the time it takes to do certain activities there.
You can make word problems about practically anything, so get creative! If so inclined, students can even draw their word problems out with art supplies.
5 Summer Math Indoor Activities
The following summer math activities for 5th grade are perfect for keeping students busy indoors.
1. Board & Card Games
Many classic games incorporate math in their gameplay and teach math literacy through fun! Games like Yahtzee or Five Crowns help students review basic math concepts, like multiplication, addition, and subtraction, and can help make thinking about numbers feel natural.
Remember, becoming more comfortable working with numbers through play can make it easier for students to learn new concepts when they go back to school.
2. Houses & Volume
In 5th grade, students start learning how to measure 3D shapes. This activity helps review that concept through creativity.
Have participants draw a house, tower, or other structure using simple 3D shapes. Afterward, participants can calculate the volume of their structure using area formulas and addition.
3. Number Line Elimination
For this activity, gather three dice and draw out a number line.
Players roll the three dice and “eliminate” numbers on the number line according to their rolls. Whatever numbers they roll can be crossed out.
Players can also perform more advanced calculations by combining their three numbers, either through adding, subtracting, or multi-step equations. For example, rolling a 5, 3, and 2 could eliminate 4 because (5 + 3) ÷ 2 = 4.
Make the number line as short or long as you want. You can even include negative numbers!
4. Practice with Printables
If you’re looking for an effective and independent activity for days inside, try working on 5th grade math worksheets. You can find them online and print them at home or at your local library!
Look for worksheets that target 5th-grade skills, such as the order of operations, fractions, measurement, decimals, and graphing. If you’re feeling confident (or curious), try some 6th-grade math worksheets to get ahead!
5. Play Online Math Games
There are countless online math resources 5th graders can use during summer break, and all kinds of virtual games that help boost math skills.
Explore online math programs like DreamBox for interactive activities that cover a wide range of 5th-grade math concepts.
About the Author
Katie Wickliff
Katie holds a master’s degree in Education, has over 15 years of education experience as a primary classroom teacher, and is Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two primary school students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about maths education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.