Get your whole class talking, thinking and making predictions with our PROBABILITY PADDLES: POSSIBLE OR IMPOSSIBLE VOTING ACTIVITY – an energetic and interactive resource designed to introduce probability language in a fun and engaging way. Perfect for Foundation to Year 2 students, this activity transforms your classroom into a space for mathematical reasoning, discussion and decision-making as students evaluate whether a variety of events are possible or impossible. With voting paddles in hand, your students will be actively involved in every moment!

This resource is ideal for use during the launch of a chance and probability unit. It includes 24 event statement cards featuring scenarios that range from everyday occurrences to imaginative situations – all designed to spark interest and encourage conversation. Using their “Possible” and “Impossible” response cards, students show their thinking by raising their paddle in response to each prompt. The format is simple, yet highly effective in building confidence with mathematical language and introducing key probability concepts in a supportive, whole-class environment.

The PROBABILITY PADDLES activity works beautifully as a warm-up, discussion starter, or lesson introduction. By mounting the cards onto pop sticks or paddle handles, students have a tactile and visual way to share their reasoning, allowing for quick checks for understanding, rich peer conversation, and easy teacher observation. This resource also supports oral language development and encourages students to justify their thinking using vocabulary like “because,” “that can’t happen,” and “I know that’s real.”

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify whether events are possible or impossible
• ✅ Use the language of chance to describe outcomes
• ✅ Develop oral reasoning and justification skills
• ✅ Engage in whole-class discussion and collaborative thinking
• ✅ Build confidence in using comparative maths vocabulary

What’s Included:

• 24 “Possible or Impossible?” event statement cards
• Printable “Possible” and “Impossible” voting cards for students
• Teacher instructions and suggestions for making paddle-style cards
• Flexible activity design for repeated use throughout your probability unit

Materials Needed:

• Printed event statements and voting cards
• Paddle sticks, pop sticks or straws for creating voting paddles
• Glue or tape to attach cards to handles
• Optional: whiteboard or chart paper to record student responses or class tallies

How to Use:

1. Print and prepare the voting paddles by attaching the “Possible” and “Impossible” cards to sticks.
2. Introduce the idea of chance and discuss what makes something possible or impossible.
3. Read aloud one of the 24 event statement cards to the class.
4. Students hold up their chosen paddle to vote – possible or impossible.
5. Encourage students to explain their thinking and engage in respectful discussion.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as a warm-up at the start of your chance and data lessons
• 💡 Set up as an interactive station with peer-led facilitation
• 💡 Display prompts on the board and graph student responses together
• 💡 Include in your morning meeting to build maths vocabulary through discussion
• 💡 Use real-life events from students’ lives to make prompts even more relevant

Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Laminate the voting paddles for repeated use throughout the year
• 💛 Use thumbs-up/thumbs-down as an alternative for quick-play sessions
• 💛 Encourage sentence starters like “I think it’s possible because…” to develop reasoning
• 💛 Follow up with writing tasks where students create and justify their own event statements
• 💛 Add a “Maybe” or “Unsure” paddle for advanced students to explore ambiguous events

PROBABILITY PADDLES: POSSIBLE OR IMPOSSIBLE VOTING ACTIVITY is the perfect way to get your class moving, thinking and speaking the language of chance – one paddle vote at a time!