Math at Home

Math activities that you can do at home with items you already have!

Number Sense:

• Practice counting.  By the time students turn 5 they should be able to count to 20 with increasing accuracy (they may skip a few numbers!).  Younger children should practice counting to 10.  You can count while stomping, clapping, jumping - or sitting quietly!  The important thing is to practice!
• Recognize numerals.  By the time a student turns 5 they should know and name some written numerals.  Numbers are all around us  - if you see one ask what it is, or tell your child what it is and have them repeat it.  You can write numbers on paper as well.  Again, stick to the numerals 0-20 for children close to 5, and 0-10 for younger children.  If they know more numbers that's great - review what they know!
• One-to-one correspondence (one object for each number word): You can count anything!  How many toys in a pile; how many crackers on a plate; count out 4 four plates for your four family members.  Students closer to 5 years old should try to count up to 10 items, younger children up to 5.  If they can count higher - that's great!

Sorting:

• Sort objects by attributes (such as: color, shape, size (big/small)).  Put items of same color together - red toys in a pile and green toys in a pile.  Have something like buttons?  Sort by size - big buttons in a pile and little buttons in a pile.  Have dried beans?  Sort by color.  Have books and magazines?  Sort by shape, or size.  By the time a student turns 5 they should be able to objects by one or more attributes into two or more groups (black beans in one bowl and kidney beans in another; or the big red blocks go in one pile and the little red blocks go in another); younger children should sort by one attribute into two or more groups with increasing accuracy (red blocks in a pile and green blocks in a pile).

Patterns:

• Repeating patterns. Patterns can be made with objects: fork, spoon, fork, spoon; blue block, red block, blue block, red block; sock, shoe, sock, shoe.  Patterns can also be done with actions: clap, stomp, clap, stomp; pat knees, clap, pat knees, clap.  Patterns can be drawn/written: circle, square, circle, square; E, L, E, L.  By the time a student turns 5 they should be able to recognize and duplicate simple patterns and they should extend and create patterns.  Younger students should work on beginning to identify or recognize patterns, and should work to create a simple pattern or help make one.

Shapes:

• Identify/Recognize shapes.  Shapes are everywhere!  Play I Spy:  I spy a circle on the wall (the clock); I spy a big brown rectangle (the door!).  Ask what shape a: book is, a bowl or plate is, bread is, a doughnut is . Fold, or cut, paper into shapes - ask what they are.  Use playdough to make shapes.  Draw shapes.  Put shapes together to make something - a rectangle made of playdough with a triangle playdough on top is a house.  A student by the age of 5 should identify a variety of shapes in their everyday environment; younger children should recognize simple two-dimensional shapes such as a circle and square.

Note: References made to abilities by a certain age were taken from the California Preschool Learning Foundations for Mathematics.