More Math Games For The Active Child

Posted By Peggy Baron

Math games are the perfect way for the squirmy child to learn math. Some kids don’t learn as well when trying to concentrate all their efforts on sitting still. These kids do better when allowed to actively partake in math games – and what could be more fun?

Here are four more ideas for math games that you may like to try with your active child:

Hide and Seek

This is a twist on traditional hide and seek because no person is going to hide. You’re going to be hiding math problems or flash cards for your child to find. Make one room or the whole house or backyard the “seek” territory and hide flashcards all around. Just remember how many you hid in case you can’t remember where they all are later [wink].

Nature Patterns

Ask your child to gather up rocks, sticks, handfuls of grass, dandelions, or anything that doesn’t move (no bugs!) First have her group the like-things together in piles. Next start a pattern on the sidewalk from these piles and ask her to add on to it following the pattern you started. It will depend on her ability, but for example you could place rock, rock, grass, dandelion, rock rock, grass, dandelion, and tell her to keep it going.

Math Double/Triple Obstacle Course

Send your child on his merry way scrambling over and under chairs, up and down stairs, on top of beds, etc., with some well-placed math question cards. These cards ask them to double or triple a number. “Double the number 3″ or “Triple the number 2″. The questions will be relative to what your child is capable of, but try to make them multiplication-related.

Rock Pile

Here’s another multiplication game. Gather a bunch of rocks into a pile at the top of your driveway. Ask your child to put 3 rocks out at the bottom of your driveway. Next have her run over and add rocks to double the original 3 rocks and tell you the total. Then ask her to put 3 x the original rocks, 4 x, etc. If your child isn’t ready for multiplication yet, have her put out the three rocks, take one away, and tell you what’s left.

These math games are just a starting point to get you going with some math games for your active child. There are many ways you can do math that are fun, including some cooking in the kitchen.

Check out Cookin’ Kids – a cooking website just for kids.  Cooking terms, safety tips, kid jokes, and easy free recipes ^[1]. Parents can visit too and pick up some free parent tips, http://cookinkids.com/

Dania

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