Helping your Child Learn Math

Math in the Home

     This section provides the opportunity to use games and activities at home to explore math with your child. The activities are intended to be fun and inviting, using household items. Please note that the activities for K-1st grade are marked with a    , the activities for grades 2 and 3 with a  , and activities for grades 4 through 8 with a    .

     Remember,

• This is an opportunity for you and your child to "talk
       math," that is to communicate about math while
       investigating relationships.
• If something is too difficult, choose an easier activity
       or skip it until your child is older.
• Have fun!
  
  

Picture Puzzle

Using symbols to stand for numbers can help make math fun and easier for young children to understand.

What you'll need:

Paper
Pencil
Crayons

What to do

  1. Choose some symbols that your child can easily draw to
     stand for 1s and 10s (if your child is older, include 100s
     and 1,000s). A face could be 10s, and a bow could be 1s.

  2. List some numbers and have your child depict them.

More or Less

Playing cards is a fun way for children to use numbers.

What you'll need

Coin
2 decks of cards
Scratch paper to keep score

What to do

  1. Flip a coin to tell if the winner of this game will be the
     person with "more" (a greater value card) or "less" (a
     smaller value card).

  2. Remove all face cards (jacks, queens, and kings) and
     divide the remaining cards in the stack between the two
     players.

  3. Place the cards face down. Each player turns over one card
     and compares: Is mine more or less? How many more? How
     many less?

     This game for young children encourages number sense and
helps them learn about the relationships of numbers (more or
less) and about adding and subtracting. By counting the shapes
on the cards and looking at the printed numbers on the card,
they can learn to relate the number of objects to the numeral.

Problem Solvers

     These games involve problem solving, computation,
understanding number values, and chance.

What you'll need

Deck of cards
Paper
Pencil

What to do

  1. Super sums. Each player should write the numbers 1-12 on a
     piece of paper. The object of the game is to be the first
     one to cross off all the numbers on this list.

     Use only the cards 1-6 in every suit (hearts, clubs,
     spades, diamonds). Each player picks two cards and adds up
     the numbers on them. The players can choose to mark off
     the numbers on the list by using the total value or
     crossing off two or three numbers that make that value.
     For example, if the player picks a 5 and a 6, the player
     can choose to cross out 11, or 5 and 6, or 7 and 4, or 8
     and 3, or 9 and 2, or 10 and 1, or 1, 2, and 8.

  2. Make 100. Take out all the cards from the deck except ace
     through 6. Each player draws 8 cards from the deck. Each
     player decides whether to use a card in the tens place or
     the ones place so that the numbers total as close to 100
     as possible without going over. For example, if a player
     draws two 1s (aces), a 2, a 5, two 3s, a 4, and a 6, he
     can choose to use the numerals in the following way:

     30, 40, 10, 5, 6, 1, 3, 2. This adds up to 97.

     These games help children develop different ways to see
and work with numbers by using them in different combinations
to achieve a goal.

Card Support

     Have your children sharpen their math skills even more.

What you'll need

Deck of cards
Paper
Pencil

What to do

  1. How many numbers can we make? Give each player a piece of
     paper and a pencil. Using the cards from 1 (ace)-9, deal 4
     cards out with the numbers showing. Using all four cards
     and a choice of any combination of addition, subtraction,
     multiplication, and division, have each player see how
     many different answers a person can get in 5 minutes.
     Players get one point for each answer. For example,
     suppose the cards drawn are 4, 8, 9, and 2. What numbers
     can be made?

     4+9+8+2=23
     4+9-(8+2)=3
     (8-4)x(9-2)=28
     (9-8)x(4-2)=2

  2. Make the most of it. This game is played with cards from 1
     (ace) to 9. Each player alternates drawing one card at a
     time, trying to create the largest 5-digit number
     possible. As the cards are drawn, each player puts the
     cards down in their "place" (ten thousands, thousands,
     hundreds, tens, ones) with the numbers showing. One round
     goes until each player has 6 cards. At that point, each
     player chooses one card to throw out to make the largest
     5-digit number possible.

  3. Fraction fun. This game is played with cards 1 (ace)-10,
     and 2 players. Each player receives one-half of the cards.
     Players turn over 2 cards each at the same time. Each
     player tries to make the largest fraction by putting the 2
     cards together. The players compare their fractions to see
     whose is larger. For example, if you are given a 3 and a
     5, the fraction 3/5 would be made; if the other person is
     given a 2 and an 8, the fraction is 2/8. Which is larger?
     The larger fraction takes all cards and play continues
     until one player has all the cards.

     Players can develop strategies for using their cards, and
this is where the math skills come in.

Fill It Up

     Children enjoy exploring measurement and estimation. Empty
containers can provide opportunities to explore comparisons,
measurement, estimation, and geometry.

What you'll need

Empty containers in different shapes (yogurt cups, margarine
     tubs, juice boxes with tops cut off, pie tins)
Rice, popcorn kernels, or
water
Marker
Masking tape
Paper

What to do

  1. Have your child choose an empty container each day and
     label it for the day by writing the day on a piece of
     masking tape and sticking it on the container.

  2. Discover which containers hold more than, less than, or
     the same as the container chosen for that day by

     filling the day's container with water, uncooked rice, or
     popcorn kernels; and

     pouring the substance from that container into another
     one. Is the container full, not full, or overflowing? Ask
     your child, "Does this mean the second container holds
     more than the first, less, or the same?"

  3. Ask your child questions to encourage comparison,
     estimation, and thinking about measurement.

  4. Put all the containers that hold more in one spot, those
     that hold less in another, and those that hold the same in
     yet another. Label the areas "more," "less," and "the
     same?

  5. After the containers have been sorted, ask, "Do we have
     more containers that hold more, hold less, or hold the
     same? How many containers are in each category?"

     The process of predicting, filling the containers, and
comparing how much each will hold, gives your child the
opportunity to experiment with measurement without worrying
about exact answers.

Half Full, Half Empty

     It is helpful to explore whole numbers and fractions
through measurement and estimation. Children can see
relationships and the usefulness of studying fractions.

What you'll need

Clear container with straight sides, that holds at least 4 cups
Masking tape
Marker
Measuring cup with 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 cup measures on it
Uncooked rice, popcorn kernels, or water
Other containers with which to compare

What to do

  1. Have your child run a piece of masking tape up the side of
     the container so that it is straight from the bottom to
     the top.

  2. For younger children, use a 1-cup measure. For older
     children, use a 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 cup measure. Pour the
     chosen amount of a substance listed above into the
     container.

  3. Mark the level of the jar on the masking tape by drawing a
     line with a marker and writing 1 for one cup or 1/2, 1/4,
     or 1/8 on the line.

  4. Follow this procedure until the container is full, and the
     tape is marked in increments to the top of the container.
     Now, the jar is marked evenly to measure the capacity of
     other containers.

  5. While filling different containers, ask your child
     "thinking" questions.

     How many whole cups do you think this container will hold?

     How many 1/2, 1/4, or 1/8 cups do you think the container
     will hold?

     How many 1/2 cups equal a cup?

     How many 1/4 cups equal a 1/2 cup? A cup?
     How many 1/8 cups equal a 1/4 cup? A 1/2 cup? A 1/8 cup?

     This activity provides a "hands-on" opportunity for
children to experience fractions while making connections to
the real world.

Name that Coin

     Children love to look at coins but sometimes cannot
identify the coins or determine their value.

What you'll need

Penny
Nickel
Dime
Quarter

What to do

  1. Look at the coins and talk about what color they are, the
     pictures on them, and what they are worth.

  2. Put a penny, nickel, and dime on the floor or table.

  3. Tell your child that you are thinking of a coin.

  4. Give your child hints to figure out which coin you are
     thinking of. For example, "My coin has a man on one side,
     a building on the other."

  5. Let your child think about what you have said by looking
     at the coins.

  6. Ask, "Can you make a guess?"

  7. Add another clue: "My coin is silver."

  8. Keep giving clues until your child guesses the coin.

  9. Add the quarter to the coins on the table and continue the
     game.

 10. Have your child give you clues for you to guess the coin.

     This guessing game helps young children learn to recognize
coins and develop problem-solving and higher level thinking
skills.

Money Match

     This game helps children count change. Lots of repetition
will make it even more effective.

What you'll need

A die to roll
10 of each coin (penny, nickel, dime)
6 quarters

What to do

  1. For young players (5- and 6-year-olds), use only 2
     different coins (pennies and nickels or nickels and
     dimes). Older children can use all coins.

  2. Explain that the object of the game is to be the first
     player to earn a set amount (10 or 20 cents is a good
     amount).

  3. The first player rolls the die and gets the number of
     pennies shown on the die.

  4. Players take turns rolling the die to collect additional
     coins.

  5. As each player accumulates 5 pennies or more, the 5
     pennies are traded for a nickel.

  6. The first player to reach the set amount wins.

  7. Add the quarter to the game when the children are ready.

     Counting money, which involves counting by 1s, 5s, 10s,
and 25s, is a challenging skill and usually does not come
easily to children until about the third grade.

Money's Worth

     When children use coins to play games, it may help them
use coins in real life situations.

What you'll need

Coins
Coupons

What to do

  1. Coin clues. Ask your child to gather some change in his or
     her hand without showing what it is. Start with amounts of
     25 cents or less. Ask your child to tell you how much
     money and how many coins there are. Guess which coins are
     being held. For example, "I have 17 cents and 5 coins.
     What coins do I have?" (3 nickels and 2 pennies.)

  2. Clip and save. Cut out coupons and tell how much money is
     saved with coins. For example, if you save 20 cents on
     detergent, say 2 dimes. Ask your child what could be
     purchased using the savings from the coupon. A pack of
     gum? A pencil? How much money could be saved with 3, 4, or
     5 coupons? How could that money be counted out in coins
     and bills? What could be purchased with that savings? A
     pack of school paper? A magazine? How much money could be
     saved with coupons for a week's worth of groceries? How
     would that money be counted out? What could be purchased
     with that savings? A book? A movie ticket?

     Counting money involves thinking in patterns or groups of
amounts: 1s, 5s, 10s, 25s. Start these activities by having
your child first separate the coins or coupons by types: all
the pennies together, all the nickels, all the dimes, all the
quarters; the coupons for cereal, the coupons for cake and
brownie mixes, the coupons for soap.

In the News

     Young children love to look at the newspaper. It is fun
for them to realize that there are things for them to see and
do with the paper.

What you'll need

Newspaper
Glue
Paper
Scissors
Pencil or crayon

What to do

  1. Newspaper numbers. Help your child look for the numbers
     1-100 in the paper. Cut the numbers out and glue them in
     order onto a large piece of paper. For children who cannot
     count to 100 or recognize numerals that large, only
     collect up to the number they do know. Have your child say
     the numbers to you and practice counting. Collect only
     numbers within a certain range, like the numbers between
     20 and 30. Arrange the numbers on a chart, grouping all
     the numbers with 2s in them, all the numbers with 5s, and
     so on.

  2. Counting book. Cut out pictures from the newspaper and use
     them to make a counting book. Page one will have one thing
     on it, page 2 will have 2 things that are alike, page 3
     will have 3 things that are alike, and so on. All the
     things on the pages have to be the same. At the bottom of
     each page, write the number of items on the page and the
     word for the item. Have your child dictate a story to you
     about what is on the page.

     Being able to read and understand the newspaper involves
more than just the ability to read the words and understand
what they say. It also involves the ability to read and
understand numbers.

Look It Up

     These activities help children understand how items can be
organized and grouped in logical ways.

What you'll need

Newspaper
Paper
Scissors
Glue

What to do

  1. Section selection. Show your child that the paper is
     divided into different sections and explain that each
     section serves a purpose. Show him that each section is
     lettered and how the pages are numbered.

  2. Ad adventure. Provide your child with grocery store ads
     from the newspaper. Help him see how many items are listed
     and the prices. Compare the prices at different stores.
     Ask which store has the best bargain and why. Talk about
     the difference in prices between items bought at regular
     price, items on sale, and items bought with coupons. What
     happens when an item is bought on sale and bought with a
     coupon?

  3. Solid search. Look at the store ads or coupons for
     pictures of all the cylinders, boxes, or cubes you can
     find. What are their different uses? Paste the pictures on
     paper and make a "book of geometric solids." Have one page
     for each solid.

     Understanding that there is a logical order to the way
things are arranged in the newspaper, and in the book of
solids, helps show that math skills can be used in organizing
written material. Comparing information, such as the sale
prices at stores, also helps children see logical relationships
that can be applied to writing.

Newspaper Search

     Search through the newspaper for mathematical data.

What you'll need

Newspaper

What to do

  1. Numbers in the news. Find the following things in the
     paper:

     a graph
     a number less than 10
     something that comes in 2s, 3s, 4s
     a number more than 50 the days of the week
     a number more than 100
     a number that is more than 100 but less than 999
     a symbol or word for inches, feet, or yards
     a schedule of some kind
     a triangle
     a weather symbol
     a percent sign
     sports statistics

  2. List it. Provide your child with the grocery section of
     the newspaper in order to make up a list of food that will
     feed the family for a week and meet a budget of a certain
     amount of money. Have your child make a chart and use a
     calculator to figure the cost of more than one item. If
     the total for the groceries is too great, talk about which
     items can be eliminated. Could the list be cut down by a
     few items or by buying less of another item? What will
     best serve the needs of the family?.

  3. For a fraction of the cost. Give your child a few coupons
     and grocery ads from the paper. Help your child match the
     coupons to some of the grocery items in the ad. What
     fraction of the cost is the coupon? For example, if an
     item costs 79 cents and the coupon is for 10 cents off,
     what fraction of the cost can be saved? (About 1/8.) What
     percent are you saving on the item? (About 12 1/2
     percent.)

     One of the main ways people use numbers is for planning.
Knowing how to plan how much things will cost before going to
the store and how to read schedules and weather information
from the paper will help your child understand the world.

Treasure Hunt

     Everyone's house has hidden treasures. There is a lot of
math you and your child can do with them.

What you'll need

Buttons
Screws
Washers
Bottle caps
Old keys
Sea shells
Rocks
or anything else you can count

What to do

  1. Find a container to hold the treasures.

  2. Sort and classify the treasures. For example, do you have
     all the same sized screws or keys? How are they alike? How
     are they different?

  3. Use these treasures to tell addition, subtraction,
     multiplication, and division stories. For example, if we
     share 17 buttons among three friends, how many will we
     each get? Will there be some left over? Or, if we have 3
     shirts that need 6 buttons each, do we have enough
     buttons?

  4. Organize the treasures by one characteristic and lay them
     end-to-end. Compare and contrast the different amounts of
     that type of treasure. For example, there are 3 short
     screws, 7 long screws, and 11 medium screws. There are 4
     more medium screws than long ones. This may also provide
     an opportunity to talk about fractions: 7/21 or 1/3 of the
     screws are long.

     Finding a container to hold the treasures gives your child
practice in spatial problem solving. The treasures may help you
to explain the concepts of addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division because they can be moved around
and grouped together so your child can count the items.

Family Portrait

     Have your child get to know members of your family by
collecting information and picturing it on a graph.

What you'll need

Paper
Pencil
Crayons

What to do

  1. Choose an inherited family characteristic: hair colors,
     for example.

  2. Count how many people in the family have the different
     hair colors.

  3. Make a graph. For example, if 5 people have brown hair,
     draw 5 heads side by side to show these five people. Do
     the same for the other hair colors.

     Graphs help everyone, including adults, understand
information at a glance. By looking at the lengths of the lines
of heads, your child can quickly see which hair color, for
example, is most common.