Get your students up and racing to explore the concept of mass with Mass Race: Describing Mass Game! This engaging and interactive game helps students practise identifying whether objects are light or heavy in a fun, low-prep format that’s perfect for maths rotations or small group learning. It’s the ideal resource to support vocabulary development and hands-on mass comparisons.

Students will take turns selecting cards from a pile and describing the object shown as either light or heavy. If they identify it correctly, they place a counter on the matching space of their game board. The first player to fill their board wins the race! The task encourages students to think critically about everyday objects and use mass-specific vocabulary in discussion with peers.

Mass Race: Describing Mass Game includes game cards and boards in both high and low colour options, so you can choose what best suits your printing needs. All you need to do is print, cut the cards, and provide each player with 18 counters. For students needing additional support, consider swapping in real classroom objects for the cards so they can use hefting to make their decisions with confidence.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Recognise and describe objects using mass vocabulary such as light and heavy
• ✅ Develop reasoning skills by making comparisons based on prior knowledge
• ✅ Practise turn-taking and collaborative gameplay
• ✅ Reinforce understanding of mass in real-world contexts
• ✅ Engage in a visual and tactile maths game

What’s Included:

• Game cards featuring various everyday objects
• Game boards with spaces for light and heavy object matches
• High and low colour versions for printing flexibility
• Simple instructions for set-up and gameplay

Materials Needed:

• Printed game boards (one per student)
• Printed game cards (cut out prior to play)
• 18 counters per player (or small tokens, buttons, etc.)
• Optional: real classroom objects for hands-on hefting
• Cardstock and laminating sheets for added durability

How to Use:

1. Introduce the vocabulary of mass - light and heavy - using classroom objects for context.
2. Give each student a board and a pile of shuffled game cards.
3. Students take turns drawing a card and verbally identifying the object’s mass as light or heavy.
4. If correct, they place a counter on the matching space on their board.
5. The first player to cover all their spaces wins the game!

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use in small group rotations to reinforce mass vocabulary
• 💡 Great as a quick maths warm-up or review game
• 💡 Perfect for hands-on learners who benefit from interactive tasks
• 💡 Pair with a mini-lesson on mass and real-world object comparison

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Use real objects for students who struggle with visualising weight
• 💛 Print cards and boards on cardstock and laminate for longevity
• 💛 Store each set in a zip-lock bag or small tub for easy access

Mass Race: Describing Mass Game makes learning about mass a movement-filled, meaningful experience your students will look forward to playing again and again!