Summer is here, and it’s time to have fun while keeping your math skills sharp! Math is all around us, and with a little creativity, you can turn everyday activities into exciting opportunities to practice and improve your math abilities. So, let’s explore 10 fun ways to boost your math skills this summer and discover the joy of numbers!
Math in the Kitchen: Cooking and baking are perfect for practicing math. Follow recipes, measure ingredients, and calculate cooking times. You’ll improve your fraction and measurement skills while enjoying delicious treats!
Math Games: Challenge your family and friends to math games like Sudoku, chess, or card games. These activities help develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning skills.
Math in Nature: Take a nature walk and observe the math all around you. Count flowers, measure tree heights, or spot geometric shapes in the environment. Math is everywhere in nature!
Math at the Store: Turn grocery shopping into a math adventure. Compare prices, calculate discounts, and estimate your total bill. Practice mental math and see how much money you can save!
Math Movie Night: Watch movies or documentaries that feature math concepts. Films like “Hidden Figures” or “A Beautiful Mind” inspire curiosity about math and its real-world applications.
Math Art: Combine your artistic side with math by creating geometric patterns, tessellations, or symmetrical artwork. Explore symmetry, angles, and shapes while expressing your creativity.
Math Puzzles: Challenge yourself with math puzzles and riddles. Solve crosswords, Sudoku, or brain teasers to enhance your problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills.
Math Journaling: Keep a math journal where you can jot down math problems, observations, or interesting patterns you encounter. Reflect on your thinking and track your progress over time.
Math Online Resources: Explore math websites and apps that offer interactive games and exercises. Websites like Khan Academy or Math Playground provide engaging math activities suitable for your grade level.
Math Volunteer: Consider volunteering for math-related activities in your community. Tutoring younger students or assisting in math camps not only helps others but also reinforces your own math skills.
Math doesn’t have to be boring! This summer, embrace the joy of numbers and boost your math skills through these fun activities. From cooking and nature walks to games and puzzles, there are endless opportunities to practice math in exciting ways. So, embark on a math-filled adventure, and watch your math skills soar to new heights! Have fun with these 10 ways to boost your kids’ math skills this summer.
I think playing games are the best way for children to review information. Games incorporate three of the five senses for learning which are sight, hearing, and touch. Sometimes, if you are creative, you can include smell and taste as well. Below I will tell you about a 3rd grade math game we created.
This week, I decided to review multiplication and division with my son. He is starting to multiply and divide multi-digit numbers. I wanted to ensure that he mastered his times tables from 0 – 12.
My son loves games and competition. Therefore, playing this game really increased his motivation to get every math problem correct.
In order to make our review games more interesting, I like incorporating his favorite toys. This week he wanted to use Turbo Bot as a way to earn extra points in this activity. Turbo Bot is a toy that can dance, spin, explore, and even record your voice.
Watch the video below to see how we used Turbo Bot to make this 3rd grade math game more challenging and exciting.
Also you can use this game to review any concept, whether its addition, history, or science facts. We encourage you to be creative and use the game in your own way.
The video below comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and subscribe if you like what you see.
Shapes is one of the first subjects kids learn when they enter preschool. Furthermore, it is sometimes reviewed in kindergarten. My son and I wanted to create a game to help kids learn shapes. Our fun shape activity for kids is called the Hide and Seek Shape Game.
We used shapes from the Perfection Game we had at home. However, you can use any shapes you have around the house. We also used water beads in our game but you can use an alternative if you like.
Kids will forget they are learning shapes because the game is fun. The object of the game is to race against another person’s time in order to find the shape. If your child is just learning shapes, then you don’t have to use a timer. Once they become more familiar with shapes, then use the timer to make the game more challenging.
Below is a video of how to play this fun shape activity for kids. You will see in the video, my son and I are playing against each other. It gets really intense but in a fun way.
This video comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like the video and subscribe to the channel if you like what you see.
One of the best ways for a child to learn is to incorporate what motivates them. My son is motivated by fun games. He loves winning and being competitive. Another thing that motivates him is his favorite toy, which are race cars. We needed to review multiplication, specifically the six times tables. Therefore, we created and played the Race Car Math Game.
Playing the Race Car Math Game
My son was so excited to play this game. He quickly got all the materials needed, which is listed below, for our competition. The rules were simple. You earn a point by having the fastest car and getting the multiplication problem correct.
We played this game for about one hour. At the end of the game, I was confident he knew his times tables. He was motivated to get the math problems correct because this was one way he accumulated points within the game. You can play this game with other math concepts such as addition, subtraction, and division.
Watch us play the game below. The video comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please subscribe and share if you like what you see.
Try this fun game with your children. If they like race cars, they are guaranteed to enjoy it.
Many of my family and friends havedominoes in their homes but do not use them much. Often times, people are not aware of the various ways to play with them. Dominoes is a fun and playful material where children can create a design and knock them down. Additionally, there is the famous Dominoes game where kids can match numbers.In this post, we will show you how to play dominoes for kids. You will see two fun games we made up.
In the video below, you will see a game that reinforces the math concept greater and less than. You will also see us playing a competitive building game.
The video comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please subscribe and share if you like what you see.
I have heard adults and children proclaim that they are not good at math. Some people believe this because they received bad grades in this subject in school. Furthermore, they had a difficult time understanding various mathematical concepts. Many of us believe math just comes naturally for some people. I discovered that this is simply not true. Teaching mathematics in early childhood is one way to combat this belief.
You mean people can improve their math ability?
Yes, people can improve their math abilities. I remember reading the book, Morning by Morning: How We Home-Schooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League by Paula Penn Nabrit. The author details why and how she homeschooled her boys. When it was time for her sons to go to college, she talked to a college admission counselor about what they look for when admitting students to their school. Of course they mentioned grades among many other aspects of a student. The counselor said good reading scores starts early in childhood; however, with practice many students can raise their math scores later in life.
How can this be done?
Dr. Ben Carson gave a lecture on PBS called, The Missing Link: The Science of Brain Health. In this talk, he gave tips on how people can optimally utilize their brain. Dr. Carson addressed the fact that many people find math difficult. He says that anyone can be good at math. Math is a subject that builds upon the previous concept. He said that when people have trouble with math it is because they failed to understand the previous concept given to them. It is important for students to go back and make sure they understand the foundational ideas before they move ahead to the next.
It just takes practice and effort.
Why is teaching mathematics in early childhood important?
When many people hear the word “mathematics” they tend to think of numbers, equations, and theories. However, math is so much more than that. It is a part of our everyday interactions and children naturally practice mathematics as a life skill whether we notice it or not.
For example, a child knows that if he or she has one cookie and his or her sibling has two cookies, then there is a difference. If a child has played with a toy for five minutes and another child played with it for fifteen minutes, they can feel the discrepancy. In the examples above, children are using mathematics to decide how they should feel about certain situations.
If our children naturally practice these skills, why not foster their learning by connecting it to their interests and incorporating it into their play and daily routines?
We will discuss some ways to do this later.
In this picture my son is three-years-old. He was curious about multiplication after seeing the x sign in his play math set. I showed him how to solve multiplication problems through drawing pictures. He is solving the problem 8 x 2 = He is writing the correct answer 16 on his V-tech easel.
What are the important mathematical skills in early childhood education?
Colors
Colors, shapes, and spatial reasoning are a few important mathematical skills in early childhood education. Colors help children organize and bring logic to their world. Identifying colors helps a child create a link between visual clues and words. Colors aid in giving children the vocabulary needed to describe the world around them, which opens up new verbal channels for them.
For instance, children often distinguish the difference between foods such as fruits and vegetables by their color. Furthermore, when your child is painting or coloring, most often they will make the sun yellow and water blue because this is familiar to them. It helps to organize their creation.
Shapes
Shapes are not only important in math, but also life in general. A child who can identify shapes will learn how letters of the alphabet are formed. This prepares them to have better handwriting skills. For instance, the letter O is basically a circle.
Also, the knowledge of shapes is useful for building, which is an introduction to engineering. My son learned a lot about what shapes to use when building certain structures with his magnetic tiles. He learned that rectangles and squares make great bases or foundations for towers. His towers are made with hexagons, squares, and triangles. From these experiences, he was able to apply his knowledge of creating basic structures to making them more sophisticated and complex.
Spacial Reasoning
A child uses visual spatial skills daily when he or she imagines where a toy in their room is located before going to get it. Another example is when a child is packing their book or duffle bag; they visualize how different items can fit together to maximize storage capacity. Furthermore, when a child puts together a puzzle, they imagine where pieces go before putting them in the correct place.
What are the methods used to teach mathematics?
There are so many methods to teaching mathematics besides worksheets. My favorite method is playful learning which may include games, hands-on activities, and the use of toys. These activities will help you to make the information active to your child. This is important because learning comes to life for a child when they do something with the information.
Examples of fun activities you can do are to go outside, collect and count rocks, and sort them by color and texture. You can also build a math activity around your child’s interests. If your child likes cars, have them construct numbers in sand or mud with their toy vehicles. You can also create a road with tape in the form of numbers. Then have your child follow the path with the cars. If you have a child that likes dolls or stuffed animals, then help them do a role play as a teacher teaching their dolls how to recognize numbers.
The possibilities are endless!
Want more FUN ideas for teaching early childhood mathematics?
Many of the activities can be done with household items and materials. This book also gives its readers tips and resources such as children book suggestions, videos, music, toys, and playful materials.
How do I know these activities work?
These are the activities I have used to teach my son, Cory, early childhood mathematics. Currently he is five but does math on a 4th grade level.
Cory really enjoyed learning math because the activities were hands-on, playful, and fun. He connected with the concepts because he was able to experience what he was learning through engaging games. Additionally, when you use fun learning and play to expose a child to math, the information tends to stick faster.
There is a quote by Dr. Karen Purvis that says “Scientists have recently determined that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain – unless it is done with play, in which case, it takes between 10 and 20 repetitions!”
This is why playful learning is important, effective, and efficient!
One day my son was playing with dice from a Monopoly game and play foam numbers. All of a sudden I hear him say, “Mommy, I made up a game!”
When I hear the word “GAME,” I get excited. I think games are the best way to learn because they incorporate the three basic learning styles: Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic learning.
I sat on the floor with him and he gave me directions for the game. After playing the game with him, I realized it would be perfect to help kids with number recognition. Since we had a great time playing the game, I would like to share it with you.
Let’s Get Started!
Materials Needed:
Dice (1-4)
Play Numbers (Foam or Magnetic Numbers) or write numbers on separate pieces of paper.
Directions:
Spread the numbers on the floor (1-20 if possible).
First roll the dice
Then count the number of small dots on the dice.
The number of dots you count represents the amount of (play) numbers you hide around your home.
If you roll a six then you have to hide any of the six numbers.
The other person will find those six numbers and identify them.
Make the game more difficult by using a timer.
The person looking for the numbers will have to find the numbers within a certain amount of time, like 2 minutes.
Next round have the other person roll and hide the numbers
That’s all there is to it!
I rolled the number 3 so I had to hide three numbers. My son found and identified all three numbers I hid around the room.
Last week I told you about the Addition Bowling Game for Kids that my son, Cory, created. This game involved using Cory’s bowling play set to practice addition. You may also use paper cups if you don’t have a bowling play set. This activity allowed my son to review adding one and two digit numbers.
Cory created a second spin-off game that allowed him to practice adding three-digit numbers as well. I was impressed in the effort and thought he put into this game. I will show you how to play below…
Let’s Get Started!
If you want to see a different version of this game, watch the video below. This comes from my son’s YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and subscribe for fun learning activities.
Materials:
Bowling game set (you may also use paper cups as an alternative)
paper
pencil
How to play:
On a piece of paper determine the point value for each pin.
For example, the first red bowling pin in the set was worth 100 points and the second red bowling pin was 200 points.
Below is a list with the point value of each pin in our game.
Please note: if you don’t have bowling pins use paper cups. You should attach the point value to each cup.
I wrote the point value of the bowling pins as my son created and dictated them to me.
On a piece of paper, draw separate columns and put each player’s initial at the top to keep score
On the left is the point values and the right are two columns to record our score. As you can see, my son Cory knocked over one blue pin for 300 points.
Set up the ten pins or cups in a scattered fashioned.
My son set up the bowling pins in a scattered fashion.
Have the first player roll the first ball towards the pins
Have the first player roll the second ball towards the pins (the bowling game comes with two balls)
Take note of the number of pins knocked down and their point value.
For example, if a player knocks down one blue and one yellow pin, their score would be 1000 points. (One blue pin = 300 ; One yellow pin = 700)
Add 300 + 700 for a total of 1000 points.
Record the score in that player’s column on paper.
The next player will roll and repeat the previous seven steps.
My son added both our bowling scores for all the rounds.
It was a great way to practice three-digit addition.
In our household, we have something called “Creative Time.” This is when my son chooses an activity or a game he and I can play. This is my time to follow his lead in whatever creative project he wants to do.
This time, he pulled out his bowling game and said, “Let’s play!”
While playing the game we incorporated addition so my son could practice his math skills. If your child is not doing addition yet, use this game to practice counting and number recognition. Like all games we play, we had a blast!
I will show you how we played below!
Let’s get started!
Materials:
Bowling game set (you may also use paper cups as an alternative)
paper
pencil
How to play:
On a piece of paper, draw separate columns and put each player’s initial at the top to keep score
Set up the ten pins
My son set up the pins.
Have the first player roll the first ball towards the pins
Have the first player roll the second ball towards the pins (the bowling game comes with two balls)
The number of pins a player knocks down is the person’s score that round.
For example, if a player knocks down eight pins then their score is eight for that round.
Record the score in that player’s column on paper.
The next player will go and repeat the previous five steps.
My son added both our bowling scores for all the rounds.
It was a great way to practice addition.
Below is what my son wrote.
M is for mommy. The score was 26 to 24. I won the game but it was really close. The second to last number under the C column is 10 and NOT 16.
Have your child count the number of pins knocked down for each round if you want to do number recognition instead of addition.
My son created a spin-off addition game. You will hear about that next week!
