NHL Hockey Cards in the Classroom (Grades 1–3)

A Simple, One-Day Hockey Card Lesson Teachers Can Use Right Away

Most elementary school teachers have seen it before: a student pulls a hockey card out of their pocket and suddenly the classroom lights up. Names, teams, numbers—kids care. That’s what makes hockey cards such a useful (and overlooked) classroom tool, especially in elementary school. This Grade 1 -3 lesson is designed to be easy to run, flexible, and familiar. Think of it as a “Monday Lesson” you can drop into your schedule with little prep, while still hitting key learning outcomes in Math, Language Arts, Art, and Physical Education.

Why NHL Hockey Cards?

NHL hockey cards are small, visual, and packed with information. For young students, they’re approachable. For hockey fans, they’re full of meaning. And for teachers, they’re a simple way to connect learning to something children already love.

Cross-Curricular Connections (Grades 1–3)

Math: sorting, counting, comparing numbers, simple data collection
Language Arts: oral sharing, descriptive language, simple writing
Art: drawing from observation, using colour and shape
Physical Education: physical activity, cooperation, listening

Materials

NHL hockey cards (one per student or shared in pairs)
Paper and crayons or markers
Space to move safely in the classroom

The Lesson Idea (45–60 minutes)

1. Look, Notice, Share (10 minutes)
Hand out the hockey cards and give students time to look closely. Ask the students a few simple questions, such as:

What colours do you see?
What number is on the player’s jersey?
What is the player doing?

Ask the students to turn to a partner and share one thing they noticed about the hockey card. No pressure—just ask the students to talk and share.

2. Math Time: Sort Like a Coach (15 minutes)
As a class, ask the students to help sort the hockey cards: for example, by colour; by team; by number (high and low for younger grades, even and odd for Grade 3, perhaps).

Create a quick tally chart on the board (e.g., Which group has the most hockey cards? … Which has the least?)

3. Art and Writing: My Hockey Player (15 minutes)
Ask the students to draw their player in action. Underneath, they can write or dictate information, such as:

the player’s name
one sentence about what’s happening in the picture

Consider student learning needs, for example:

Grade 1 students can label
Grade 2–3 students can write a full sentence

4. Physical Activity Break: Find Your Match (10 minutes)
Call out clues for the students to consider, such as:

“Find someone with the same colour on your hockey card.”
“Find a card with a bigger number than your hockey card.”

Students can be asked to move throughout the classroom, compare, and reset—just like a quick hockey shift change.

The Final Whistle

This “Hockey Card” lesson works because it feels familiar. Hockey cards bring curiosity into the room, give children something to hold, and turn learning into conversation. Sometimes that’s all a Monday morning needs.