Activity Ideas:
Our Money
Create your own family currency. What do your dollars look like?Ask your child to make some money and
create a playful way to buy and pay for special services. For example, how much family fun money would
Dad pay for kids to bring the newspaper into the house? How much would the kids pay to pick out a movie
to watch? Teach math and budgeting skills with a special creative flair.

Fishing for Number Recognition
Materials: Construction paper in various colors, Scissors, A hole punch, A magnet, Paper clips, A dowel or
Tinker Toy to form the handle of the fishing pole, String to form the fishing line, Super glue
Directions:  Cut ten fish shapes, about 6-inches long each, out of the construction paper in different colors.
Write a different number from 1 to 10 on each fish. Punch a hole in each one near the mouth area. Slide a
paper clip through each hole to attach. Tie the string to the dowel to make a fishing rod. Super glue the
magnet to the end of the string. Let dry thoroughly. To play: Scatter the fish so that the numbers are
clearly visible. Tell your child, “I’m hungry for a number 4 fish!” and watch him hunt for it, then carefully
lower the “rod” until the magnet catches the paper clip and he reels it in. Repeat with other numbers until
all the fish are caught for a game that's so fun, it doesn't even feel like math practice!

Bathtub Math
Mathematical concepts can be learned using a variety of inexpensive materials. Assorted containers,
measuring cups, squirt bottles and funnels can help children develop concepts such as empty/full,
before/after, shallow/deep, and heavy/light. Add these materials to your child's bath tonight.

Measuring Fun
Add assorted dried beans with measuring cups, bowls, and/or spoons to the sensory table.

Weather Charting
Materials: notebook, pencil, crayons.
Directions: In a notebook help your child to keep a visual or graphic record of the weather. Perhaps after
breakfast each day you could draw what the weather looks like outside. Write in the date and whereabouts.

Sorting Buttons
Put buttons in water and have the children sort them by color, size, or whatever. They can use tweezers to
pick them up with.

Shell Fun
Have on hand a wide variety of shells. Let the children sort the shells into group by kind, size, texture, etc.
Have them count the number of shells in each group. Continue by asking the children to find the smallest
and largest shell. Then have take turns balancing the shells in each hand to see which is heaviest and
which is lightest.

Money Game
Place 3-5 coins in your hand. Let your child see them. Close your hand and have your child guess how
many of each type of coins were in your hand

Measurement
Use tape measure and measure the height of the children. Use tape to
mark heights on the wall.

Trace around child's foot on a piece of paper. Children can use their footprints to measure the length of a
table, the doorway; and other classroom items.

EZ Ways to add Math Skills to a Child's Day:
Play a Memory game or a favourite card game like "Go Fish".
Add rulers, unit blocks, a calculator and/or clock to a child's play space
Use Classification Skills. Chart your family's (or class) favourite colours
Explore and describe similarities, differences, and the attributes of things
Distinguish and describe shapes
Sort and match. Do the laundry together.
Use and describe something in several ways
Hold more than one attribute in mind at a time
Distinguish between "some" and "all"
Use Numbers  
Compare attributes (longer/shorter, bigger/smaller) Organize toys from smallest to biggest.
Develop and recognize different patterns. Bead a necklace and pattern the colours
Math DAZE
c. Marcia Arpin
www.alltheDAZE.com
established July, 1,
2002
Words of Wisdom

"The mind can make substance, and
people planets of its own with beings
brighter than have been, and give
a breath to forms which can outlive all
flesh."

-Lord Byron

"Don't discard your fantasies as merely
wishful thinking. Honor them as messages
from the deepest part of your being about
what you can do and directions you can
choose."

Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer
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