Math is a subject which, try as I might, almost always lands last in the preference list of my kids when it comes to what we should study. And hence, it is of paramount importance that we end up doing math more often than we learn the other subjects (much to the chagrin of both the kids).
For the little one, I’ve been trying to make Math an everyday activity in everyday things this summer, not just involving a pencil, paper and problems. For instance, I make him count out items when we go grocery shopping, I ask him to calculate how much change we will receive when cash is tendered and the like.
For the older one, it is more about online math games since she is turning out to be extremely internet- savvy and I would prefer her to spend more time doing something worthwhile online rather than just watching some random animated cartoons or other videos. Thankfully, she seems to be really enjoying herself and plays them every day, unknowingly brushing up her own skills in the process.
Here are three simple ways kids can practice math during the summers.
By getting outdoors
For the little one, I’ve been trying to make Math an everyday activity in everyday things this summer, not just involving a pencil, paper and problems. For instance, I make him count out items when we go grocery shopping, I ask him to calculate how much change we will receive when cash is tendered and the like.
For the older one, it is more about online math games since she is turning out to be extremely internet- savvy and I would prefer her to spend more time doing something worthwhile online rather than just watching some random animated cartoons or other videos. Thankfully, she seems to be really enjoying herself and plays them every day, unknowingly brushing up her own skills in the process.
Here are three simple ways kids can practice math during the summers.
By getting outdoors
Susan Gerofsky, an assistant professor in the department of curriculum and pedagogy at the University of British Columbia had this to say: “It’s not that drills and memorization are useless… It’s that, for a lot of people, math means just a lot of drudgery and painful repetition. But for those of us who love math, the reason we love is because it’s about life. Math arises in the patterns of nature, in art – everywhere.”
That is why it is better to spend the summers exploring the outdoors instead of poring over books and number worksheets. Play hopscotch in your courtyard. Ask your child to pick a different flower every day and count its petals. Allow them to draw a number line with a piece of chalk on the driveway. All of these outdoor activities will help in keeping your kid connected to math.
By playing offline and online math games
Monopoly is a traditional yet wonderful family game for kids to learn how to handle and calculate simple cash transactions. Then there’s Sudoku, the nine grid number puzzle game; the multi-colored Rubik’s Cube or even Chess.
An example of an exciting online math game is the app called Unblock Me in which the player needs to help a car get itself out of a tight parking spot. Math Game Time is another interesting website aimed for kids up to grade seven in order to practice the basics of fractions, probability and similar concepts.
By cooking
This one is especially useful for younger kids. From exploring patterns and shapes when cakes are baked – circle, triangle, square; measuring stuff – too much, too little, heavier, lighter, half full, half empty, weight, scales, to the basics of multiplication tables while counting the rows/columns of cookies on a baking tray, spending some time in the kitchen can be an enjoyable way to brush up on the basics of mathematics.
Any other ideas which can help kids keep in touch with math through the summer holidays?
That is why it is better to spend the summers exploring the outdoors instead of poring over books and number worksheets. Play hopscotch in your courtyard. Ask your child to pick a different flower every day and count its petals. Allow them to draw a number line with a piece of chalk on the driveway. All of these outdoor activities will help in keeping your kid connected to math.
By playing offline and online math games
Monopoly is a traditional yet wonderful family game for kids to learn how to handle and calculate simple cash transactions. Then there’s Sudoku, the nine grid number puzzle game; the multi-colored Rubik’s Cube or even Chess.
An example of an exciting online math game is the app called Unblock Me in which the player needs to help a car get itself out of a tight parking spot. Math Game Time is another interesting website aimed for kids up to grade seven in order to practice the basics of fractions, probability and similar concepts.
By cooking
This one is especially useful for younger kids. From exploring patterns and shapes when cakes are baked – circle, triangle, square; measuring stuff – too much, too little, heavier, lighter, half full, half empty, weight, scales, to the basics of multiplication tables while counting the rows/columns of cookies on a baking tray, spending some time in the kitchen can be an enjoyable way to brush up on the basics of mathematics.
Any other ideas which can help kids keep in touch with math through the summer holidays?