How to Use Popsicle Sticks in the Classroom

---

Popsicle Sticks in the Classroom

📝 This post Popsicle Sticks in the Classroom, was originally published in 2012 and has been updated with new information and resources.

The first thing my students do each morning is find the popsicle stick with their name on it at the attendance table by the classroom door and place it in a jar. Just like that, I know who’s at school without even taking attendance! It’s a simple routine that gives students responsibility from the moment they walk into the classroom.

Popsicle sticks are a staple in my classroom. They are one of the first things I order every school year—and I order a lot of them! I prefer the jumbo craft sticks because they’re easier for me to write on and easier for students to read. Over the years, I’ve found so many uses for them, and I seem to discover a new one every year.

I eventually realized one set wasn’t enough! I keep several sets of name sticks in different areas of my classroom—one on the attendance table, one near our meeting area, and another by my teacher table. That way I always have a set nearby whenever I need them.

---

Morning Meeting

As soon as our morning meeting begins, those same name sticks come in handy again. I use them to choose who fills in the date on our calendar, who counts the coins for tracking the days we’ve been in school, and who updates our class hundreds chart.

I also use the sticks to choose who completes the date on our morning message and “reads” the message with the class while using one of our fun pointers.

The sticks also help us decide who will share during morning meeting. We have three or four students share each day, so I simply draw sticks to determine who will share first, second, third, and fourth. It’s quick, fair, and gives everyone a chance to participate throughout the year.

The sticks even help me choose who will begin our daily greeting. Later in the year, I let my students take over the stick picking—and they think it’s the best job ever!

We also used popsicle sticks to help us choose which game we’d play. Whenever we learned a new game, I wrote its name on a popsicle stick and added it to our game jar. During morning meeting, one student would draw a stick to choose which game we’d play that morning. It kept our game choices fresh and gave students something fun to look forward to every morning.

---

Stick Helper

At the end of each day, our Stick Helper emptied the attendance jar and arranged the sticks on the attendance table so they were ready for the next morning. It only took a minute, but my students loved having the responsibility.

---

Picking Partners

Whenever we needed partners, I simply drew two sticks from the jar. It was a quick and fair way to pair students, and because the partners changed often, everyone had the opportunity to work with different classmates throughout the year.

---

Small Groups

Name sticks made creating small groups quick and easy. Instead of assigning students myself, I could simply draw names to create each group. Then, once students were working together, they used the sticks to decide who would go first. It was a simple, fair system that eliminated the inevitable, “I wanted to go first!” discussions before they even started.

---

Learning Tools

Games

Popsicle sticks are also part of many of the games we play. Besides choosing who goes first, the sticks often become part of the game itself. One of my students’ favorite examples is ZAP!, where the sticks are used to practice math facts while adding a fun element of surprise.

Tally Marks

Popsicle sticks are perfect for practicing tally marks because students can physically group them into sets of five. It’s a simple, hands-on way to help children understand why the fifth tally mark crosses the first four.

Place Value

Bundle ten sticks together with a rubber band to make a “ten.” Students can build numbers using bundles of tens and single sticks to practice place value in a concrete way.

Skip Counting

Have students arrange the sticks into groups of 2, 5, or 10 to practice skip counting. It’s a great visual way to see equal groups before moving on to multiplication.

Creating Patterns

Colored popsicle sticks are perfect for practicing patterns. Students can create, copy, and extend patterns while getting plenty of hands-on practice. As they become more confident, challenge them to create patterns of their own for classmates to solve.

Ordinal Number Practice

Write ordinal numbers on popsicle sticks and use them for hands-on ordinal number practice. Students can practice reading, ordering, and using ordinal numbers as they arrange the sticks from first to last or line themselves up in ordinal number order.

Writing Spacers

Popsicle sticks also make wonderful writing spacers. Students place the stick between words as they write to help them leave appropriate spaces. My students especially loved decorating their spacers to look like little astronauts—or “spacemen!”

---

Over the years, popsicle sticks have become one of the most versatile tools in my classroom. I hope you’ve found a few new ideas to try in your own classroom after reading this post. And if you have a favorite way to use popsicle sticks, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!