Kids Learning to Love Math

Simple Activities Done Together Counts

There are some simple math activities that families can do that are really cheap but effective. It is what families think, say, and do that counts, according to researchers. Remember the saying, “Children who are read to, read?” The same is true for math.  When you’re in the kitchen, car, restaurant, or park try these suggestions and see how easy they are to do. Math thinking becomes an enjoyable habit.

 Number Meaning

  Teach young children to make connections between numbers and sets of objects. Point to beans on their plate and ask,” How many beans to you see? Let’s count them.”  Showing children three Cheerios or toy cars when teaching the number three helps them understand what numbers mean better than reciting strings of numbers by memory. 

Make Connections Observe Patterns and Sets

 Shapes and Patterns

  Spot patterns in picture books like dots and lines on a character’s shirt. Build towers of blocks side by side and invite children to make theirs look like yours. Look for rectangles, circles and other shapes on the playground. What shapes are on houses and other buildings? What shapes can you find during a walk in the woods?  Use gestures and words to describe shapes and how they are bigger or smaller than other shapes. Use shapes to draw simple animals and other figures. 

Addition and Subtraction

  Draw a number line on the sidewalk, garage, or basement floor. Then hop on numbers, such as,” Hop to 5,” and now, “Hop to the number that is 1 more.” Piggy bank their money or use threejars.com to practice adding and subtracting when they want to use money.

Cooking with Fractions

  Use fractions to divide recipe ingredients while helping in the kitchen. “How many half cups make a whole cup? Help children cut pizzas, fruits, and vegetables into halves, fourths and thirds.

Problem Solving

Families Activities Can Teach Math

For families who want to jump into math problem solving there is There is a site that provides fun math problem from time to time to figure out.  Go to bedtimemathproblem.org. There are problems for wee ones, little kids, and big kids. Here’s a sample. Wee ones can count on fingers: If you rake up 2 bags of leaves and use a leaf blower to pile up 3 more bags of leaves, how many bags of leaves did you clean up? Then when outside raking leaves use the idea to talk about math.  “We raked up two piles of leaves. If we rake up two more, how many piles will we have to jump on?”  The same is true for making snowballs and snowmen. There is also “Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out” part of the Bedtime Math series by Laura Overdeck. Math conversation can be fun!

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos 

STE(A)M Activities Help Children Solve Problems

STEAM - Thinking 'How To"

  STE(A)M teaching is a way of helping children think like scientists, technologists, engineers, artists (architects), and mathematicians as they solve meaningful and interesting real world problems. When children use STE(A)M they are making hands- on projects and following the problem solving model real engineers use: Talk about and define the problem with a team, research it, talk about and draw possible solutions, talk about and choose a plan, talk and create, talk, test, and evaluate, talk and improve, talk and redesign until the problem is solved. 

  Families can help their children by using the STE(A)M model and vocabulary while doing everyday chores like cleaning, cooking, or doing a family STE(A)M activity.

Family STE(A)M Fun

  With family holidays coming

Define A Problem

 up here is a cheap STE(A)M activity for young cousins: making drinking straw structures. You’ll need box of drinking straws with the flexible bend cut off, a roll of masking tape, child scissors, and a piece of paper for a base.

  Define the problem and talk about it. You can choose a problem like building sturdy a bridge, playground structure like a swing set or climbing dome that will hold many action figures.

  Research and talk about it. What kind of structures do the children have at school? What kinds of shapes are they? Triangles, rectangles, circles? What makes them sturdy? Do they have reinforcing bars that make triangles? Triangles distribute the weight and stress.

  Draw pictures of ideas for structures based on the discussion. Choose a plan, and create it with straws and tape. Help young children cut the straws, tape and wrap it around the straws. Are there triangles?

  Test the structure and evaluate. You can use action figures to test for strength. Look for parts that bend under the weight.

  Talk and improve the design. Do you need more reinforcement straws to make more triangles? Is the structure able to hold more weight now?

  Redesign and talk until the design works and the children like it.

Start With Shapes

  Very young children can start with a square pyramid structure.  Cut a straw into four equal parts and tape them to a paper to make a flat square. Then cut four more straw pieces of equal size. Anchor them on each corner and the top with tape to make a pyramid.

   Smaller straw pieces can reinforce the pyramid until there are many triangles and trapezoids.  When they look through it can they count the shapes? Is the structure sturdy? How can you test it? If the top is made like a little basket or platform will it hold a small gourd or little animal without collapsing? What other sturdy structures can children design? For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fofos

Fun With Geometric Shapes

What do you want for breakfast today? Circles or triangles? Children love learning Geometry through fun gaming activities!  How can families help young children prepare for success in geometry?  A game with shapes is a great start. There are many ways to interact with your children and grandchildren while learning about shapes. 

Materials  Needed:

Ten popsicle (craft) sticks, glue, construction paper, and crayons

What To Do:

  Draw and point out the characteristics of some basic shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles, pentagons, circles, rhombus (diamond) and trapezoids, or read a book about shapes. Then take a walk around your house and help children identify basic shapes. If it is a nice day take a walk outside and look for those shapes. Later, choose a place with a flat surface and together count out ten sticks.

  Help children create a given shape using a specified number of sticks. For example, you could ask children to make a shape with three sticks. Help your child remember the name of that shape. See if a rectangle could be made with all ten sticks and then create that shape together. What about a square? Investigate what makes a square different from a rectangle. Together find the greatest number of sticks it would take to make a square. Ask your children if it is possible to make a circle. Why not? Be sure to identify each shape as you help your children create it.

  Talk about where you saw these shapes on your walk. Encourage your children to find more. You could play “Find that Shape” game with this. Take turns saying the name of a shape and see if children can find it.  Then trade places.

How Will This Help My Children?

  Families are helping children identify different shapes and learning important math vocabulary that is also part of reading and speaking vocabulary. Your children are practicing counting skills as they use a different number of sticks to build shapes and developing logic and problem solving skills as they discover how to make the figures.

What Else Can We Do?

  Your children might enjoy gluing the sticks down into a particular shape and then adding details to make a picture. For example, a house is made up of a triangle (roof) and a square or rectangle. Flowers, grass and sun could be added. They may also want to make a picture with geometric designs. Introduce more shapes if you think your children are ready.

  Great books to discover together are “My Very First Shape Book” by Eric Carle, “Shapes, Shapes, Shapes”and other books by Tana Hoban,  “Mouse Shapes” by Ellen Stoll Walsh, and” Flip a Shape: Play! “by SAMi” Books by Ed Emberley help older children use step by step directions and geometric shapes to draw almost anything.

For more math activities see the authors’ book “Learning through the Seasons” online at: http://www.grandparentsteachtoo.org/ and listen to this and many other activities at WNMU Audio Podcast 

Illustration & photo: 

Mark Nowicki & Scaglione, Margaret. fan1.jpg. March, 2008. Pics4Learning. 22 May 2013