By: The Peabody Special Educators
Want to help your child with math but don't know where to begin? Do you feel like you just don't have enough time? Try taking a math minute!
Grades K - 2
Find a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck!
Take a few coins and work on identifying money. Sort loose change and then calculate the value of each pile. Can you find all the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters? How much is a dime worth? If I have two dimes, how much money do I have? For older kids, have them roll coins to make $1.00! (100 pennies = $1.00, 20 nickels = $1.00, 10 dimes = $1.00, 4 quarters = $1.00)
Simon Says, “Geometry!”
A new twist on this traditional game that is sure to please! Have your child illustrate geometric terms using only their arms: parallel, perpendicular, right angle, obtuse, and acute. You can even have them make 90, 180, and 360 degree turns! For a challenge, increase the pace of the commands and see if they can keep up!
Boil, Boil, Pasta Pot!
Feeling hungry? I always end up with a ton of mis-matched pasta that is not enough to feed the family. Pour all your leftover uncooked pasta in a large bowl and let your child’s imagination soar! From simple sorting, to art with geometric patterns, to bridge building with spaghetti, the possibilities are endless! You can even use the rest of the pasta to cook a delicious meal. Best of all, this activity also works with younger siblings. Remember, the kitchen is a place where your child can engage in real world problem solving.
Grades 3 - 5
Become Fact Fluent!
Skip count to school. As you are walking, take turns counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, etc. You can even make up a song! See how many multiples of a number you can say in a minute.
Recipe for Success!
Do you love to bake? Have your child measure ingredients using ¼ cups for ½, and ¾. Try doubling or dividing the recipe.
License Plate Math
Stuck in traffic? Give your child a 100s chart listing the numerals and/or number words from 1 ñ 100. Look for numbers on signs at restaurants, stores, on license plates, and even road markers. See how many numbers you can cross off! Bingo anyone? First person to cross off 5 in a row wins. For more ideas,
click here.
Gum Drop Structures
Okay, so this one may take more than a minute.
The Challenge: Using 10 gumdrops and 20 toothpicks, design a structure that can hold the weight of a large textbook.