Have you been hearing anything about Toothy Task Kits lately? Toothy will quickly become your students' favorite game to play as an early finisher or center activity. This post highlights what Toothy is, how to play, materials needed, and other commonly asked questions. We also have a free Toothy game to share with you to use in your classroom!
What is Toothy?
Toothy is a game that can be played independently, with a partner, or in a small group. Toothy is the actual character that is used to play the game. The Toothy character has a big, open mouth in which the students draw teeth every time he/she answers a question correctly. There are four Toothy characters who are a mix of genders and ethnicities.
How to Play
Each partner gets a Toothy mat and dry erase marker. Students will take turns choosing a card. Each student who is playing the game will solve the problem on their Toothy mat or dry erase board. When all who are playing have answered the question, they compare their answers and last, turn the card over to check to see if their answer is correct. Those who have a correct answer get to draw a tooth in Toothy’s mouth on their mat.
If the student’s answer is incorrect, they do not draw a tooth and those who got the answer correct must explain how they got to the correct answer. Then, the next student draws the next card and the process is repeated. The game is over once all 27 cards have been answered. The student with the most teeth in Toothy’s mouth is the winner of the game.
Materials Needed
- Toothy Mat (one per student)
- Expo Marker
- Eraser (black socks work great)
- Toothy Task Cards
- Optional: (affiliate link) Pocket Pals Page Protectors
How to Organize & Store Toothy
I prefer to organize each Toothy set in the colorful Photo & Craft Keepers. I have also seen them stored in plastic baggies, file folders, or even just bound with a rubber band and placed in a basket.
Once you have all the task cards organized, store them with Toothy mats and recording sheets in a Centers Pocket Chart!
Toothy Mats
Each Toothy Task Kit comes with a set of Toothy mats that are specific to the skill. There are also a set of Toothy mats that are generic and not skill specific. If you choose to print the skill-specific mats, these can be stored in file folders, as seen below. If you choose to print the generic Toothy mats, these can be stored in a basket next to the Toothy Task Kits.
Are these a lot of prep?
NO! This is why teachers are loving these games! The Toothy cards are designed for back-to-back printing. The answers print nicely on the back of each problem card. Then, laminate, cut, and you're ready to go.
How many sets should you print?
This all depends on how you plan to use them in your classroom. Ask yourself these questions:
- Will you be using them as centers or early finishers? Something else?
- Will your students play this game independently? With a partner? In a small group?
- Do you want all students to be playing the game at the same time?
This should help guide you to your answer. Yes, more than one set will fit in each plastic container too.
Do these games require a lot of correcting?
Nope! This is another reason teachers are loving Toothy! The cards all have answers on the back. It's instant feedback for the students and there's absolutely no correcting for you! That being said, if you want to use this activity to check your students' level of understanding, give them a piece of paper to record the problem and answer. This will provide you with evidence of understanding of the skill being practiced.
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What are other teachers saying about Toothy?
“I can't wait for my 2nd graders to get there hands on this! What I love is it's the same game with the same rules, just different math concepts. That way I don't have to spend a lot of time teaching the game. Rather, they'll learn it & be able to play the rest of the year. Thank you!”
“The BEST math skill review game ever! My kiddos just love this and ask to play every day. Thanks for a wonderful resource!”
“My students are really enjoying using these! I love that it's the same game with different standards being covered. Makes my life much easier and the kids love it! Thank you!”
“I see what all the craze is about with this. How fun! This is a super easy, super low-stress center to put out for the kids. I love that it is differentiated, and allows for student choice with skills or teacher-directed reinforcement of skills. Thank you!”
Can you try Toothy free?
Absolutely! In fact, I encourage teachers to give them a try! I guarantee, once your students play Toothy, they will be begging you for more!
Do you think this could work for third grade? If not, do you know of any great task cards that other teachers have made for third grade?
Thanks!
Jesslyn
Hi Jesslyn. Thanks for your message. These task kits address the first and second grade math standards but I definitely think that a lot of them would be applicable for 3rd grade. I also think that any of your intervention kids would benefit from these as well. Hope that helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at angie@luckylittlelearners.com
I also have high hopes for an eventual add-on for third grade, or even an editable file to make questions that align with the third grade standards. I’m looping up to 3rd next year, and my kids are OBSESSED with Toothy. Just know that there is a demand for it :).
Hi Kasey and Jesslyn! Great news! 3rd Grade Math Toothy is now available. You can check it out here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3rd-Grade-Math-Toothy-Task-Kits-Math-Centers-Math-Games–3292426
The free Toothy Money Game won’t print for me. It has a lot of black lines on it. I’ve printed some of your other things with no problems. Any suggestions for me? I love this game!!! Thanks so much!
Hi Stephanie. It sounds like you are trying to print the file from the preview mode of Adobe. Make sure to download the file to your computer and then open it from there. That will eliminate the black lines.
Thank you!!!
Hi Angie!
I just love your ideas and resources you share. I just watched your live video on the “Toothy Math Bundles” and purchased but it was $15 instead of $10. I just received this e-mail today… Did I miss the deadline? No worries if I did… It’s definitely worth it! I can’t wait to try them out with my students!
Thanks!
I have to tell you that I am LOVING the Toothy games. My students are engaged and learning but still having fun! I was curious how you manage your Toothy games. Right now, I have a variety of Toothy games out while students are learning how to play them correctly. Down the road, I’d like to have students be able to access the games when they finish early as well as for morning work. How do you display your games, any other way then the Michaels box? Do you let students pick what they play or do you assign?
Hi Rebecca. Typically, once students are familiar with Toothy and we are to the point of knowing how to play, I will set out about 6 sets that I would like them to have extra practice or spiral review. I use the colorful containers so I just set those containers in a basket and those are the sets that they have to choose from. You can do this with plastic ziplock baggies too. Hope that helps!
I want to be notified of your new ela toothy cards.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer. I am unable to get you signed up myself but if you scroll to the bottom of this blog post and click on the ELA Toothy Reservation button you can get signed up there!
Hi Jennifer. I just wanted to make sure that you saw that the ELA Toothy cards have been created and posted. I will include the links below as well.
Phonics: http://bit.ly/2NzUi5a
Grammar: http://bit.ly/2Lhhj04
Looking forward to toothy ela
I anticipate the ELA/Grammar Toothy Bundle being released tomorrow! Can’t wait!
These are WONDERFUL!!! I absolutely love how easy this is to use. I was wondering if you would be able to add time to the minute. I teach in Texas, and our 2nd graders have to read time to the minute.
I would like to try the Toothy game with my K-kids. I signed up for the free trial, but have not yet received it. Any idea why? Thanks.
Hi Lynne. Be sure to check your downloads folder on your computer. Once you confirm your subscription, it is an automatic download to your computer. If you haven’t received any emails then I would check your spam folder as sometimes emails will get filtered into there. Another thing you can do is add angie@luckylittlelearners.com to your contacts as this helps filter my emails into your inbox. Hope that helps!
Are you thinking about making other grade levels
Hi Danielle!
I have Toothy kits available for grades k-3 I hope this helps! Thank you and have a great day!
Angie Olson
Lucky Little Learners
Hey Angie!
I’m so excited to use my toothy K kits! What did you use to attach your covers onto the boxes!
Your stuff always looks so professional and awesome, and I’m a little crazy about those not important details;)
Thanks:)
Where did you get the containers from?
Hi Lauren,
I got them from Micheals online.
Thank You!!
I just purchased the 3rd Grade Math Toothy. How many Iris storage kits do I need to buy if I wanted to go that route to store my Toothy?
Thanks so much!
Hi Jennifer. You will need 3 Iris containers for 3rd grade Toothy.
How do we try these for free?
Hi Shannon. You can download a free version of Toothy in this post: bit.ly/ToothyPost Once you sign up it will be sent directly to your email inbox. Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!
I love these toothy bundles. I’m wanting to get the kindergarten set to help my low babies.
Hi Amber. We do have Kindergarten Toothy for both math and literacy. I will include both of the links below for you.
Math: http://bit.ly/2LGyWlV
ELA: http://bit.ly/2rQIz74
Have just come across your site on Pinterest here in Australia I run a maths program from K -year 6 & I’m interested in your bundle but of course note the money lot as our money is different to yours. Do you ship to Aust.?
Thanks.
All files are digital files. The only resource available in the store that has Australian money is Math Toothy. I have it for grades K,1-2,3. If you would like to get more information on these you can email me at angie@luckylittlelearners.com
Are there any of these awesome bundles specific to kindergarten ?
There are some skills I see that we could use but many are geared for 1-2 grades.
Love your stuff!!!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie!
I have placed two links below to my Kindergarten Toothy bundles! I hope this is helpful, thank you for reaching out!
http://bit.ly/2rQIz74
http://bit.ly/2LGyWlV
Angie Olson
Lucky Little Learners
How can I purchase these where I don’t have to print them out I want to purchase these kits for my second grade class so I can make them over the summer.
Hi Nancy!
Unfortunately, these kits are only available as PDF’s so the only option we have is for you to print them out yourself. Thank you for reaching out, have a great week!
Angie Olson
Lucky Little Learners
I can’t wait to use these!
Awesome to hear that, Terri!
Your ideas looks so fun, engaging, and time-worthy.
Thanks, Melanie! I’m glad you like it!
I would like to down load just one of the math toothy. I want to make sure my kids enjoy it before I buy the whole set. We are not ready for money yet. Thanks
I have tried several times on teachers pay teachers with this comment and it has not been addressed. The toothy ending digraphs task cards include ending blends such as /nd/ . /ng/ and nk. Since i teach that digraphs are two letters that make one sound, this section is not usable.
Hi Susan. Thank you for your message and I apologize for the misplacement of these Toothy sets. Please email me at angie@luckylittlelearners.com so we can discuss how to make this right for you.
I teach 4th grade but am in love with this, do you have anything marketed for older elementary grade levels?
Hi Aly!
I currently do not have any resources for older elementary grade levels, but I appreciate your suggestion and will add it to my list of potential ideas for the future! Thank you!
Angie Olson
Lucky Little Learners
I teach Spanish to language learners (main language English) and to native Spanish speakers in 4th grade. I have anywhere from 5 to 7 different reading levels. I find the toothy kits very interesting and will like to see if you have any Spanish kits.
Hi Carmen!
I do not have any Spanish resources at this time, but I appreciate your interest and will add your suggestion to my list of things for the future! Thank you!
Angie Olson
Lucky Little Learners
I am having trouble printing the sequence cards for Reading Toothy. I have tried both at home and school. Any suggestions?
Hi Angela!
Thank you so much for purchasing my Toothy Task Kits! I’m sorry you’re having trouble printing it. This can sometimes happen with image heavy files like this one. There is an easy fix for this issue, though. First, make sure you have the most current version of Adobe Reader. You can find it here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
Make sure you download the file and save it to your computer before opening it.
It sounds like you are either opening with an old version of Adobe Reader or if you are on a Mac, you may be opening the file in “Preview”. That is often the default setting so be sure to check that. With a Mac, try opening Adobe Reader first (rather than just double clicking on the file), then “open with” the file in Adobe Reader.
If that doesn’t work, try this advice from TpT Tech Support:
1) Open the PDF file with Adobe Reader
2) Click ‘print’
3) Click on ‘advanced’
4) Check the ‘print as image’ box, and this should cover all potential issues
This has worked for me every time I run into an issue, but if you are still having trouble TPT Support will help you further. They are wonderful and quick, and will be able to guide you through solving any issues you are still having that are beyond my tech level. You can submit a ticket by scrolling to the bottom of the homepage and clicking on ‘Contact Us’
I hope your class enjoys the unit and thank you again for visiting my store!
Angie Olson
Lucky Little Learners
I’m obsessed with these task cards! I absolutely cannot wait to use them during centers or for early finishers. I’m having one small issue, though. Whenever I print from my Mac, the clipart gets a big black box around it, thus cutting off the text on the card. Any suggestions? I’m sure it’s just a setting I need to change somewhere on my computer, but I’m not sure what. Either way, love this product! Thank you for being so thorough!
Hi! We would love to help you with this question, please email us at customerservice@luckylittlelearners.com and we will do our best to answer it for you! Thanks so much!
Bailey Jordan
Lucky Little Learners
Thank you for sharing
I have purchased some of the Toothy kits and have not seen any student direction cards. Do they come in each kit?
Hi Chandra! We would love to help you with this question, please email us at customerservice@luckylittlelearners.com and we will do our best to answer it for you! Thanks so much!
Bailey J.
Lucky Little Learners
Do you have phonic work for 4th grade as a review? I have many low readers. I am purchasing the grammar bundle as well.
Thanks!
Natalie
Hello Natalie! I’m sorry, we do not have a 4th grade phonics review resource at this time. Thanks for your question!