Mathematics in our Daily Lives

 

Hello Room 10 Families,

Please feel free to use these activities for extra practice at home or if your child is at home sick.

• When your child is playing, take the opportunity to focus on the toys. For example, you might ask, "How many red cars do you have? How many yellow ones? How many altogether? How many are there if I take two of them to play with?"

• Have your child help with household chores and incorporate  counting, adding, and take away as you chat together. Some examples: Setting the table: "How many forks do we need on the table? How many are in the drawer. So if I take 4 from the draw how many do we have left?"

• Sorting laundry: "How many big socks did you find? How many little ones? How many altogether? How can you sort the pile of little socks? How many in each pile? There should be four blue socks, but I see only three. How many are missing?

• Tidying up: "How many books did you pick up?" Here are two more; how many do you have now? I'll take these three and put them in my room. How many do you have now?

• Involve the family in a guessing game. Have each family member guess and record how many raisins are in a small box, or how many pieces of cereal are in an individual serving box, or something similar. (Try to keep the number below 100.) When all guesses are in, ask your child to count the items, then to compare the answers and announce whose guess was closest. 

• Have your child go around the house and count certain items and tally as they go. For example, have your child count and tally how many lightbulbs, chair legs, pictures on the wall, your choice around the house. 

• Set up "shape hunts" where you give your child (or children) a time limit to find "three rectangles you can hold in your hand," or "four triangles you can find in your room," or similar mystery shapes. 

• Draw a picture using 2D shapes. Record how many of each shape used.