Homework Resources
Math Readiness
Math Readiness / Mathematics - Building foundational mathematical concepts through hands-on activities and real-world connections.
Mathematics "happens" all around us every day. It is part of our daily lives. We measure ingredients as we cook meals, we count out plates, bowls, spoons, forks and knives to set the table. We count money and the number of items when we shop. We sort laundry before and after washing. We tell time when we cook, get ready for school, get ready for bed, brush our teeth. Math also includes the rate of speed we drive at, the time it takes to get to school, often the length of a sports game is measured by time and/or score. Every step we take, every breath we breathe can be counted.
Before You Begin
Note about Flash Cards:
Inexpensive Dollar Store flashcards are good for practicing skills with your child. Limit the number of cards you flash at one sitting. The most important goal is correct answers, not the number of cards flashed. Make flash card time fun and exciting. Hold 8 – 10 cards and flash them as fast as your child can answer the question. Make flash card time into a competition with your child challenging him/herself. Do not use flash cards until your child has worked with the particular skill shown on the flash card. In other words, do not start using subtraction flashcards if your child still has not mastered addition skills.
Note about Collecting Materials:
Start saving "stuff" – Stuff is objects to be used for counting, adding, subtracting, etc… Save bread ties (the plastic clip type); they are good for counting, sorting and can be clipped onto a wire hanger for fine motor practice and used as an abacus. Also, save buttons. If you have clothing that is in no shape for donating, cut off the buttons. Tell your friends the same message. Then have your child sort the buttons by color, size, shape, and number of holes.
Counting Activities
1. Number Hunt at Home
Go for a "number hunt" around the house. Name an object(s) that is easy to see in the house and have your child count. For example: How many televisions are in the house? How many computers? How many refrigerators? How many beds? Have your child walk around to confirm the correct amount.
2. Count Everything
Count! Count toys, pots and pans, socks, kitchen utensils, coins in your wallet, buttons on the shirts, count, count, count…
3. Step Counting
Count the steps you need to walk from the sidewalk to the front door (or any two places). Try to walk the same distance with fewer steps or with more steps. When you take a walk, try hopping, skipping, jumping or side-stepping a certain number of steps. Get into the habit of counting together.
4. Neighborhood Number Hunt
Expand your "number hunt" to the neighborhood. Go for a walk and ask questions of "How many…? How many trash cans are along the street? How many cars are parked in driveways? How many white houses? Blue houses? etc.
5. Finding Printed Numbers
Develop this idea of a "number hunt" further. Have your child hunt numbers (printed numerals) around the house. Point out that most will be in books, on a telephone dial, television, etc…
6. Neighborhood Number Hunt
Develop this idea of a "number hunt" further out into the neighborhood. Look for house address numbers, street names using numbers, possibly numbers on signs…
7. Car Ride Counting
While riding in the car, have your child count: count red cars, stop signs, signs in general, people walking on the sidewalk, bicyclers, etc…
8. Counting Books
Read some counting books with your child. Such as: 10 Black Dots, Five Little Monkeys, Chicka Chicka 123, The Doorbell Rang. Check with your local librarian. There are many, many counting books on the shelves.
9. Counting Poems and Songs
Recite counting poems and sing counting songs such as "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", "One, Two Buckle My Shoe". The Internet is a wonderful source for counting poems and songs.
10. Grocery Store Counting
When you are at the grocery store, have your child count in the store- count the number of milk cartons, the number of yellow boxes of cereal, the number of brown candy boxes on the shelf, the number of shrimp lined up in the fish case, the number of pumpkins or watermelons lined up on the floor in front of the fruit section. Take advantage of your environment.
11. Pantry Counting
Now that you are home from shopping, have your child count the cans in your pantry. Remove a few and have your child re-count.
12. Family Penny Jar
Start a family penny jar. Add pennies throughout the week. One evening plan to count the pennies. Try counting from one up touching each penny. As your child masters counting, try counting backward: 10,9,8,7, etc…. Then try counting the pennies by twos. When the jar is full, encourage your child to choose a charity to donate the coins.
13. Snack Time Counting
Snack time fun: Serve an orange to your child. Have your child guess how many seeds will be in the orange. Then let your child enjoy the orange and save the seeds to count. Do the same with a slice of watermelon or even a pumpkin.
14. Pasta Sorting
Gather a variety of pasta shapes and have your child sort the pasta shapes into muffin tins. After sorting the pasta, have fun reading Tomie De Paola's Strega Nona and her magic pasta pot. Your child will love the story.
15. Counting Backward
Start to count backward: Once your child is comfortable counting up, try practicing counting back. This is not an easy skill. It is best to start with a set of objects and remove one object at a time to count back.
One-to-One Correspondence
16. Matching Objects
Once your child is comfortable counting it is time to move onto one-to-one corresponding. Gather a set of any like objects such as small plastic toy animals, hair clip sets, anything you can find that are doubles. Then have your child match the like pieces one to one: one red clip to one red clip; one cow to one cow… etc.
17. Food Pairing
You can do a one-to-one correspondence with food products: the colorful Goldfish can be paired by color.
18. Ice Cube Tray Activity
Take an old ice cube tray and small objects such as buttons, mini toys, etc. Have your child drop one small object into each "ice cube cup". This is a one-to-one correspondence- one object to each cup. If your child's fine motor skills are up to it, give your child a small spoon or tweezers to pick up the objects and place them in the cups. Now you are reinforcing fine motor skills as well as mathematical skills.
Building Sets and Early Addition
19. Cupcake Pan Sets
Now let's start building sets. Take an old cupcake baking pan. Write numerals 1 to 6 (or however many cupcake holes there are) and drop one paper with a numeral written on it in each cupcake tin (at this point put them in counting order). Then give your child small like objects and have him/her count out the corresponding number of objects as the numeral written on the paper. Have your child place the correct number of objects in each cupcake tin. Buttons are great for this activity.
20. Number Cards Activity
Make a set of number cards 1 to 10 to start. Shuffle the deck of cards. Collect any type of like objects or food. (Teddy Grahams and M & M candy work great here). Have your child spread the cards out on the tabletop in order from one to ten (left to right). Then have your child count out the correct number of objects and place them in front of each card. (No eating yet!) Over time you can introduce zero and higher numbers.
21. Introduction to Addition
After several days of work with building sets, then introduce addition by simply asking your child to move one number card and its corresponding set down the table and ADD (move) a second set down bringing them together. Use both the number cards and objects to point out the total when the two sets are added (moved) together. This task should be repeated on multiple days with various levels of skill. Once this is mastered, try removing the objects and try with only the cards. You will know if your child is visualizing the set or not. If not, go back to building the sets and play some more. Again, this skill comes with time and practice.
Skip Counting
22. Counting by 2's
Count by 2's. Collect objects that come in pairs: socks, mittens, boots, shoes. Line up the pairs on the floor and have your child count the pairs. Then count by 2's. This will take a lot of practice. Continue practicing over several days (or weeks).
23. Handprint Counting by 5's
When counting by 2's is mastered introduce counting by 5's. Have fun making a picture of handprints. You and your child paint each other's hands (literally your hands) and press your hands onto a large piece of paper. Each hand represents 5 (fingers). Now paint the hands of everyone else in the family. Now start counting the fingers. Try switching to counting each hand as 5. Begin.
24. Nickel Collection
Now start a nickel collection. Count the nickels by 5's then save them in a jar as you did pennies. Once or twice a week dump out the nickels and count them by 5's. Then put them back into the jar. Watch the jar fill with nickels. When the jar is full, count the nickels one more time then decide together where you will donate the nickels.
25. Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal counting: Line up five of your child's toys. Ask: Which toy is first? Which is second? Etc….. Then mix up the order and ask the same questions. Repeat this activity over several days. Ordinal numbers is a difficult skill for children to learn.
Mathematical Vocabulary
26. Comparison Words
Use mathematical vocabulary: Demonstrate the following using common objects around the house: big/little; tall/short; fat/skinny; under/over; above/below; more/less; short/shorter/shortest; tall/taller/tallest; close/far; inside/outside. Next, allow your child to show other objects that demonstrate these vocabulary words. Now have your child draw comparison pictures to demonstrate an understanding of each set of words.
27. Lunch Fractions
Lunch fun: make a sandwich. Compare the size of the inside of the sandwich to the size of the bread. Cut the sandwich in half. Compare the two halves. Then choose a fruit. Cut the fruit in half, discuss the halves then cut each half in half again making quarters. Discuss the size and how many quarter pieces make the whole fruit.
28. Pizza Night Fractions
Pizza night: make sure your child is standing there observing as you cut the pizza. Discuss how the pizza is still a pizza when it is one piece, 2 halves, 4 quarters, etc… then when pieces are served from the pizza, discuss how many are left (this becomes a pre-subtraction lesson).
29. Scavenger Hunt
Go on a scavenger hunt: Tell your child to find objects around the house or yard based on descriptions of the attributes of the objects. For example: find a large, blue thick pillow; find a small, thin rectangle box. Base the attributes on size, thickness, color, shape.
30. Pantry Organization
Empty your pantry! Take out various size cans and have your child line the cans up by small, large; tall, taller, tallest or even tall-short-tall-short….
31. More or Less
More or Less: Scoop out some type of food and put more in one bowl and less in the other. Name them MORE and LESS. You can do the same with clay balls, or a mound of cotton balls to a single cotton ball.
32. Compare and Contrast Game
Play a compare/contrast game: gather small items from around the house. Place them in a basket or bag. Then set out two sheets of paper one labeled BIG one labeled LITTLE. Have your child reach in and pull out an object. Then your child decides if it is BIG or LITTLE. The objects may need to be moved as more objects are drawn from the bag. Have your child name the object and state BIG or LITTLE. (Be sure to have more of one size than the other.)
33. Bar Graph Creation
Expand the above activity by making a bar graph to show how many BIG and how many LITTLE objects there were in the bag. Then to read the bar graph you would still use the vocabulary: the BIG bar and the LITTLE bar.
34. Other Attributes
Use the compare/contrast game directions above but use other attributes: small/large; more/less, thick/thin, etc.
Measurement Activities
35. Non-Standard Measurement
Measuring: use common objects such as same size paper clips or same value coins to measure objects. This skill should be practiced after counting has been mastered. Choose an object, a book, your foot, a small rug- use the measuring tool to see how many of the measuring tools can be placed beside the object being measured. Guess how many paper clips long your rug is. Then measure it.
36. Estimation Practice
See above activity for measuring. Once this activity has been mastered, try estimating how many of the measuring objects it will take to measure out any given object. Now you are working with estimation or guessing. If your child makes a very wild guess, then he/she has not mastered measurement yet. Go back to practicing the measurement activity again. Then come back to this activity.
37. Household Estimation
Further practice with estimation: Have your child estimate how many buttons are on ten different pieces of clothing in the house; or how many wheels are in the house; or how many photographs. Once a reasonable estimation has been made, allow your child to count up and see how many there actually are. If your child can tally count, give him/her a paper and say, make one tally mark for each button, wheel, photo found. Then count up the tally marks.
38. Grocery Bag Estimation
Here's an estimation activity: When you get back from the grocery store, let your child estimate how many items are in each bag. Then as you empty the bag, count the items.
39. Pouring Practice
Pouring dry and liquid is a fascination for all children. Give your child a plastic measuring cup and a bowl and something to measure (dry rice, beans or if you are brave, water) After some time "playing with pouring" show your child the numbers on the side of the measuring cup and explain why they are there.
40. Measuring Cups
If you have a set of measuring cups, first let your child line up the cups by size, then set him/her free to investigate with the cups. Once again allow your child to fill the cups and pour them into each other to discover sizes and amounts.
41. Measuring Spoons
Another day allow your child to measure using measuring spoons. Let your child describe the spoon, small, smaller, smallest, big, bigger, biggest, etc.. Challenge your child to figure out how many spoonfuls of one size will fit in the next larger size spoon.
42. Volume Exploration
Measuring volume: Collect a variety of plastic containers: milk carton, juice bottle, cottage cheese container, yogurt cup, etc… then at bath time allow your child to play with the containers filling them and pouring the contents from one bottle or container to another. It seems like only play, but it is teaching "volumes".
43. Tape Measure Fun
Take a tape measure and demonstrate how to measure by reading the numbers written on the tape. Then measure each other. Try measuring each other's arms, legs, feet, etc….. This is a standard measure where it will be the same on every tape measure as opposed to using a paper clip which is not standard and can vary in size.
44. Family Height Chart
If there are more people in the household, measure each person's height. Then have your child determine the order of height from the tallest person to the shortest person in the house. Have your child draw the people in that order. See if he/she can draw the varying sizes.
45. Furniture Measurement
Walk around the house measuring larger pieces of furniture like a bed or couch. You may need to use a piece of yarn or string if your tape measure is not long enough. Write down the inches then sit and compare the sizes. Which piece of furniture is larger? Which is longer? Which is wider? (This is great for developing vocabulary.)
Geometry and Shapes
Let's take a break from counting and do some geometry. Shapes are all around us. Before you begin, take a look around the room you are sitting in. How many shapes do you see? Now you need to help your child develop the same keen eye you are using to name the shapes around you.
46. Food Shape Sorting
Before you start formal shapes, let's just look at differences. Prepare a zip loc snack bag with three or four snack foods such as small pretzels, goldfish, small candy drops, Cheerios cereal. Then set out four bowls. Have your child sort out the food by shape (not by the name of the food).
47. Same Food Different Shapes
Now to take the above activity one step further, gather three or four different shapes of the same food such as different shape pretzels. Put the pretzels into a snack bag and again have your child sort the pretzels by shape.
48. Color Sorting
To proceed one step beyond shapes, let's do the same food activity as above but use same shape, different colors such as Fruit Loops and Cheerios cereals. Check to see how many different color cereals are in the snack bag and give your child that many bowls to sort out the cereal by color.
49. Pattern with Pom-Poms
Let's do one more sorting activity. Take an old ice cube tray and gather two different color pom-poms. Have your child put one color pom-pom in the first ice cube cup to the far left (top row) then switch to the other color and place pom-poms into the second ice cube cup. Continue with the alternate color pattern. To make the activity more difficult, have your child pick up the pom-poms with tweezers. Continue until each ice cube cup has a pom-pom of the alternate color.
50. M&M Color Graph
How about some fun? Sort M & M candies by color. Make a bar graph showing how many there are of each color.
51. Drawing and Describing Shapes
Some children have a natural grasp of shapes and see them in their environment and others cannot see past a drawn shape. So, draw shapes on paper, chalkboard, whiteboard, whatever is available. Say the name then describe the shape. For example a square has four equal size straight line sides and four equal size pointed corners. Draw a square and have your child trace (using index and middle fingers) the shape around each side. Draw different sizes of the same shape and repeat. Then find an object in the room that is that same shape. Allow your child to trace the object, to feel the shape. Be careful not to give your child an object that does not represent the particular shape. Some of the basic shapes to use are circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, cone, cylinder, and sphere, and the words that describe them—side, corner, curved, point, round, circular.
52. Shape Books
Help reinforce shapes by reading some books on shapes like Mouse Shape, A Circle Here and Square There, Round is a Mooncake, Shapes, Shapes, Shapes, Color Zoo. Again, visit your public library to find some great shape books.
53. I Spy Shapes
Play "I SPY", "I spy a red circle with numbers on the face. What am I spying?" "The clock".
54. Foam Shape Activities
Pre-cut shapes from a sheet of art foam. Allow your child to feel and trace the shapes over and over naming the shape as they trace. Then use the same shapes for other activities such as the next activity.
55. Toy Shape Sorting
Set out the foam shapes and some toys on the floor. Sort the toys by shape placing them to the corresponding foam shape. Name the shapes of the toys.
56. Shape Bar Graph
Using the activity above, make a bar graph showing the number of toys for each shape. Discuss the resulting graph.
57. Catalog Shape Hunt
Save mail order catalogs, especially those that arrive before the Christmas holiday. Use the pages to find objects of varying shapes. If your child has progressed to cutting, allow your child to cut out objects of particular shapes. (Check the pages you give your child first to see that there are pictures of the shape being cut.)
58. Shape Templates
Pre-cut small samples of various shapes on thin cardboard (templates), one for each shape. Then have your child trace the shapes onto paper using crayon or pencil. Allow your child to color in the shapes.
59. Shape Pictures
Extend the above activity by encouraging your child to use the shapes to "make a picture of an object" such as a bear's face would be one large circle, 3 smaller circles for eyes and nose, 2 medium circles for ears. Then let your child color the finished picture.
60. Construction Paper Shapes
Have your child use the templates you made above to trace and cut out a selection of colorful shapes from construction paper. Have your child sort out the shapes and store them separated.
61. Shape Creations
Use the shapes to create fun animals and objects on the tabletop (NO glue). Rectangles and circles make trucks and cars. What else can you build? Repeat this fun activity after doing some of the more difficult activities.
62. Shape Building Challenge
Shape challenge: See if your child can build one large square out of many equal size squares. (Square crackers make this task fun. Try the same challenge with rectangles (remember, rectangle crackers add to the fun!)
63. Shape Concentration
Play shape concentration with your child. Pre-draw sets of shapes or objects on index cards. Turn the cards over and take turns turning over two cards. If they match you keep the cards if no match turn the cards back over and the other person takes a turn. The winner has more sets of cards.
64. 3D Shape Building
Building shapes: This activity is for children whose fine motor skills are more developed. Supply your child with a box of toothpicks and mini marshmallows. Demonstrate how to poke the toothpick into a marshmallow then poke another toothpick into the marshmallow. Then put a marshmallow on the other ends of the toothpicks. If you line up the toothpicks then one more toothpick between the end marshmallows should form a triangle. (3 toothpicks, three marshmallows.) How many shapes and designs can you make with marshmallows and toothpicks?
Patterns
65. A-B Patterns with Shapes
Now we will introduce patterning along with shapes. Use the shapes from the above activity. Choose two different shapes, for example, circles and squares. Now set out a pattern of circle, square, circle, square. Explain this is an A-B pattern. Ask your child to help you continue this pattern adding a circle then a square over and over. Change shapes and repeat the same A-B pattern, repeating several times on several days.
66. Copying Patterns
Pre-draw an A-B pattern using two of the sets of shapes your child has already cut. Then give the pattern to your child. Have your child build the same pattern copying your pattern then have your child continue the same pattern.
67. Clapping Patterns
Try clapping a pattern. Have your child repeat the pattern. Then have your child clap a pattern and you repeat. Continue….
68. Clothing Patterns
Visit your closet. Have your child find clothing with repeating patterns such as a striped shirt, color pattern, animal pattern, etc.
69. Pattern Necklace
Make a pattern necklace. Use yarn and fruit loop or other colored donut shape cereal or pasta. String the loops onto the yarn in a pattern then tie the end and proudly wear the necklace.
70. Exercise Patterns
Go outside and do A-B exercise patterns. Jump, reach, jump, reach, etc. Take turns making up the pattern.
71. Coin Patterns
Use different coins to make A-B patterns – penny, nickel, penny, nickel… Change coins and continue.
72. Musical Patterns
Play some music. Listen together for the beat of the music. Then try to clap the beat. This beat is the pattern. What pattern is the song? Change to another song. Clap out the beats to figure out the pattern. Try several different types of songs.
73. A-B-C Patterns
When A-B Pattern is mastered, move to an A-B-C pattern of three shapes. Demonstrate the three different rotating patterns of shapes. Then help your child place the next shape, then the next. If your child fails to see the next shape, then he/she is not ready to move to this level.
74. Complex Patterns
Continue changing patterns such as A-A-B (circle, circle square; circle, circle, square…) always starting with a pre-drawn model then move to the more abstract of simply saying the pattern.
75. Shape Art
When basic patterns are understood use the shapes to have fun gluing them to a piece of paper to create some fun pictures.
Advanced Mathematical Concepts
76. Weight Comparison
Weigh in: Demonstrate to your child that objects have weight. Give your child two small objects to hold, one in each hand. Ask, Which weighs more? Which weighs less? Find many objects to compare
77. Time Concepts
Beat the clock: Passing time is a difficult concept even for younger elementary level students. Show your child a kitchen timer. Demonstrate how when cooking the timer helps in the cooking process. Let your child guess how long it takes to get dressed. Then set the timer for the guessed amount of time and start dressing. Try this with toothbrushing, eating a snack, cleaning up toys, etc…
78. Addition Readiness
Before you even consider trying to do simple addition with your child you must feel confident that your child understands that a number represents a set such as 1 represents a single unit, 2 represents a 1 more unit than 1 unit, and zero means no units or nothing. This means your child has built many sets and has mastered counting forwards and backward and can identify numbers by reading the numerals.
79. Problem Solving
Problem Solving: Children need to talk about their ideas and to have someone listen. Encourage your child to discuss reasons why you or they make certain decisions. Try to keep the conversation positive. Now watch for opportunities to help your child problem solve. For example You must go to the grocery store, the library and purchase ice cream. Ask your child which place you should go to first? Why/ Where should you go second? Why? What other problems in life can you discuss?
80. Pre-Division
Pre-division: Gather a group of same objects such as marbles. Let your child count the objects then have your child divide the objects into equal groups (such as three equal groups). Then discuss how each group should have the same number of objects. Also note, there could be a remaining one or two objects, simply call them the remainder or what is left. This is the start of learning division. Repeat making different amounts of groups.
81. Dot-to-Dot Puzzles
Purchase or print from the Internet Dot to Dot Puzzles. They come with numerals and/or letters. Have your child guess what the picture will be before he/she starts.
Remember: Math skills develop over time with consistent practice. Keep activities fun and engaging, and celebrate your child's progress along the way!