Category — Math Activities

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo by making tacos. Have your grandchildren use measuring cups and spoons to create their tacos. This will help them learn an important math skill.

For each taco you’ll need:
1 hard taco shell
1/8 C of cooked chicken or ground beef
1/8 C of grated cheese
1/2 C of chopped lettuce
1/2 Tbsp of sour cream
1/2 Tbsp of salsa.

This is a fun way for your grandchild to practice addition. All you need are a pair of dice to play this math game. The object is to get to 100 or closest without going over. Each player shakes the dice and makes a number. If you shake a 5 & 3 you can make the number 53 or 35. Write the number on a piece of paper and when it’s your turn again, shake the dice and make another number. Add the 2 numbers together. Keep adding the numbers until someone wins.
You can also play Race to 0. It’s played the same way but subtracting from 100.

This is great for all ages. You just need a deck of card with numbers. If you’re using playing card remove the aces and face cards. You can use UNO or Racko cards. Put the cards face down in a pile. Take turns drawing 2 cards from the pile. Determine ahead of time if you will add, subtract or multiply the numbers on the 2 cards. The person to get the correct answer first, keeps the cards. The person with the most cards is the winner. You can also play where each person has a pile. Together each of you turn over one card. The first person to add, subtract or multiply the numbers correctly gets to keep the cards.

Download Rock Around the Clock
Getting Started:
1. You will need a set of cards for each player.
2. Each player places their cards face down in a circle like the numbers on a clock. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t in the number order of the clock. The 12 is the only card that faces up in the 12 o’clock position.
3. The remaining cards become the “draw pile”.

How to Play:
The goal of the game it to be the first player to turn over all the cards on their clock. You do this by taking turns drawing from the draw pile and placing the card in the correct position. The card you replace goes to the bottom of the “draw pile”. If you draw a card that is already in the correct position, you skip your turn.

Download the Favorite Food Bar Graph. The bar graph activity will be fun for Thanksgiving or any other time during the month.

These activities will keep the kids busy while you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

COUNTING TURKEYS
Cut out nine medium or small paper (or felt) turkeys.
Place them on a table or felt board.
Have your child point to each one as you recite the following poems together.

NINE LITTLE TURKEYS (A Counting Rhyme)
One little, two little, three little turkeys
Four little, five little, six little turkeys
Seven little, eight little, nine little turkeys
Out in the barnyard.
Gobble, gobble, little turkeys
Gobble, gobble, little turkeys,
Gobble, gobble, little turkeys.
Out in the barnyard.
Jean Warren

TURKEY, TURKEY (A Number and Color Rhyme)
Turkey, turkey number one
Strutting under the yellow sun.

Turkey, turkey number two
Strutting under skies of blue.

Turkey, turkey number three
Strutting under a big green tree.
Turkey, turkey number four
Strutting past the red barn door.
Jean Warren

Sorting is a great activity to get kids thinking about data, attributes and patterns and how things can be organized in different ways. These are skills they need for math.

1. Collect many different kinds of things to sort (buttons, rocks, shells money, lids, beans, small toys, etc.).
2. Download the “How Many Ways to Sort” and “Sorting Mat”.
3. Use the Sorting Mat to sort the items into categories. There will be many different ways to sort the items. You can sort by shape, size, color, etc.
4. Write down all the different things you sorted and the way you sorted them on the How Many Ways to Sort sheet. See how many different ways you can sort the items. This activity also reinforces writing skills.

Download All Sorts of Sorts

Fun math game for ages 4-10 years.

STEP 1 Print out the 20 Frame Game sheet with number cubes.

STEP 2 Cut out the number cubes and use clear tape to assemble.

STEP 3 Each player will need 1 Twenty Frame Game pattern and beans to be used as markers.

STEP 4 Have fun playing the game as follows:

1. Player # 1 shakes both number cubes and add the numbers together.
2. Place the total number of beans on the 20 frame (be sure to add the beans beginning on the top row from left to right then go to the second row adding on beans left to right).
3. Player #2 does the same.
4. The player with the greatest value wins the round. Decide ahead of time how many rounds you will play to determine the winner.

Variations:
Subtraction –Shake both number cubes. Cover the 20 frame with beans representing the number with the greatest value. Subtract the beans that represent the number with the least value. The player with the lowest value wins the round.

Addition and Subtraction – Shake both number cubes and add the numbers together. Place that number of beans on the 20 frame. Shake 1 number cube and subtract that amount. The player with the least value wins the round.

Download Lady Bug Pattern
This is a fun way for kids to practice math facts. Print out copies of the lady bugs for each math problem you want to create. Cut out the main body and the wings. Attach with a brad where indicated with a circle. On the wings write a math problem such as 5 x 7 or 12 + 3. Write the answer on the body. When the wings are together your child solves the problem. To check to see if the answer is correct, separate the wings.

If you enjoy gardening, invite your grandchildren to help plant your garden. This can be a great time to talk and you can use the ideas below to make it a fun learning time for math, reading and writing.

Gardening Learning Activities
Measure how far apart to plant the seeds.
Measure the perimeter of the garden.
Count how many rows will be needed.
Estimate how tall specific plants will grow.
Make a list of everything needed to plant and care for the garden.
Read the instructions for planting.
Read the instructions for caring for what is planted.
Design a marker for each thing planted.