Starter Activities for Maths Lessons in Year 7

40 maths starter activities with teaching plans and photocopiable card resources in a 96-page PDF for mixed-ability Year 7 classes.

Designed for lively mental/oral lesson openings, the activities use word games, matching, sorting, investigations, bingo, battleships and show-me responses. Topics span problem-solving, number, calculations, algebra, shape and measures, and handling data, including fractions, percentages, sequences, functions, symmetry, area and probability.

Plans list resources, key vocabulary, learning outcomes, organisation and activity instructions, with answers and extensions where relevant. Resource pages provide cards, diagrams and game materials for the activities that need them; some starters use classroom equipment without a separate resource page.

Most starters are intended for about 10–15 minutes, with guidance on adapting or extending them into main activities or plenaries. This is the original 2002 publication, written for the historical National Numeracy Strategy. Its Framework and curriculum references are retained without a claim of current alignment.