FOTF-Logo-Stretch-Color.png
Search

Reinforcing Math Concepts

Find creative ways to teach math concepts to children throughout the day and in the midst of their routine.

Math is a part of life so why not reinforce concepts as you go about your daily routine? Here are some creative ways that other parents have found to do this: 

It’s About Time

To help my son better understand how time works, we play a game. I ask questions like, “If we arrive in 25 minutes, what time will it be?” or “We have to be at school by 8 a.m. It takes 15 minutes to get there. When do we need to leave the house?”‚ÄÑHe looks at the clock and adds or subtracts to find the answer. It helps him relate time to real life.

—Cassia Elder

Fun With Math

My husband and I wanted to give our four kids
a good foundation for learning. Here’s what we did to help reinforce
basic math concepts:

Count like an Egyptian. Our
kids loved Play-Doh! We had them roll balls, cut squares or mold shapes
into groups of 10, and then counted by 10s as they rearranged the groups
into a pyramid of 100. We repeated this with other numbers.

Play games. Simple card games helped our children
build important cognitive skills. Go Fish helped them recognize numbers
and develop matching skills. War reinforced the concepts of greater
than, less than and equal to. Skip Bo helped them count in order.

Build with limited LEGOs. Our kids chose six blocks
to build one tiny creation. Next, they were able to choose two sets of
six blocks to build something a little bigger, then three sets, and so
on. This helped them understand multiplication; they saw how sets of a
specific number of blocks increased a creation in size.

—Nicki Bishop

Edible Math

My mother, an educator, taught me to use food to
teach math concepts so my kids would associate math with something
enjoyable. When my children struggled with math concepts, here’s what I
did:

M&M’s worked for multiplication. My
children would sort them into 10 piles of 10, and then count the total
number of candies. In reverse, they learned division (20 pieces
separated into four groups) by counting the candy in each pile.

For fractions, I used either pizza or brownies to
show the equivalency of amounts (9/12 = ¾).

For number
lines
, we used Twizzlers. A Hershey’s Kiss or gumdrop marked
the number value.

And I taught congruent shapes
with sandwich wedges (congruent triangles: same shape and size).

My children had the immediate reward of consuming their math lessons
as they gained the long-term benefits of grasping foundational
concepts.

—Marybeth Mitcham

Math Games

Why simply eat a waffle when you can make fractions with it? My boys enjoy reviewing math in creative ways, so I’ve come up with fun, simple activities that reinforce math concepts. Here are some games that work well for us:

Hide and Seek: Instead of counting traditionally, the seeker counts by twos or fives.

Adding Toss: Write numbers on pingpong balls. Kids toss them in a bowl and total their score.

Subtraction Scramble: Lay flash cards numbered one to 10 on the floor. Call out a math problem, such as “five take away three.” Children run to the flash card with the correct answer.

Rocketship Counting: Before eating, count backward until blastoff.

Beat the Balloon: Ask math questions while tossing a balloon. Children try to answer before the balloon hits the ground.

LEGO Equations: Use the studs on LEGO bricks to build equations: 2 bricks + 4 bricks = 6 bricks.

Driving Discoveries: Ask shape-related questions, such as, “What would happen if circles disappeared for a day?” or “How many octagons can you spot?”

Yummy Shapes: Build geometric shapes by joining toothpicks and marshmallows.>

—Karen Gauvreau

Make Homework Fun

My son was having trouble getting his math assignments finished in a timely manner. Although he was good at math, he didn’t like doing the work. So I decided to add a little competition to the task. I said, “I’ll do the assignment, too, and we’ll race to see who can finish first.”

That challenge was just enough to get him motivated. Sometimes we raced each other; other times we set a stopwatch to see how long we each took. Deductions were made for incorrect answers since accuracy was always of highest importance. Eventually, it was no longer necessary for me to participate because our competition had motivated him to complete his assignments quickly and accurately.

Little did I realize that harnessing his competitive energy was preparing him for future math competitions. He had learned to focus on improving his personal best, rather than trying to defeat others. This enabled him to become a great team member, encouraging others to pursue excellence and victory.

—Carolyn Stonehocker

About the Author

Read More About:

You May Also Like

Homeschooling options
Education

4 Ways to School at Home

Taking responsibility for your children’s education can be the most rewarding decision you will make as a parent.