(303) 979-9077
(303) 979-9077
[email protected]Doing fun math activities outdoors creates positive memories. These positive memories help your child retain the math associated with the memories. Spring is a great time to take math outdoors. So get outside and try these two math activities
Activity #1
Memorize math facts or formulas while doing a rhythmic and active motion like hula-hoop, hopscotch, playing catch, shooting hoops, jumping rope, or running.
How to do it: Choose sets of facts or formulas that you want your child to memorize. Put them into sets with no more than five facts or formulas per set. Each time you or your child does the chosen motion (throws the ball, jumps rope, etc.) recite one of the math facts or formulas. When the child gets the first set memorized, move on to the second set. Keep going until the child can easily recite both sets easily. Repeat the activity with the same facts later that week. Add a new set of facts when the child easily recites the first two sets anywhere and anytime.
How the activity helps: Memorizing math facts helps kids develop automaticity, which frees up the brain for more complex math. Doing it with a rhythmic activity makes practicing more fun and engages kinesthetic learning modalities. They will probably practice for a longer time this way than they would sitting with flashcards. Memorizing in fashion will make it easier for the child to recall the facts months later.
Activity #2
Go on a nature walk and record what you see. Repeat the nature walk a few weeks later. Use math to describe the changes between the first and second nature walk.
How to do it: Before going out decide together what you should look for during the walk. Young kids might want to count items that are easy to spot and classify, like rabbits, flowers, and butterflies. Older kids can look for less obvious items like, various stages of different types of trees and flowers (leaves, buds, or in bloom), small garden bugs, and the types of activities you see people doing. Use tally marks to record whatever you decided to count as you walk. When you get home help your child create a graph with the information.
In a few weeks, walk the same path and count the same types of things as last time. Make a new graph with the new information. Compare the two graphs to see how things are changing. Use math to describe how people and/or plants and animals are adapting as the days get longer and warmer.
How the activity helps: Math is a language to help us describe the world around us. Kids get used to doing “math problems” that are given to them and they don’t get enough practice using math as a tool to describe relationships. This activity also encourages divergent thinking.
Do you do other math activities outside? We’d love to hear about them. Our unique approach to math instruction has helped many kids. Whether inside or outside, Mathnasium of Littleton encourages families to incorporate math into daily life and have fun with it! Give us a call 303-979-9077 to see how we can help your family have fun with math.
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Other articles of interest include:
With the Right Mindset, Math Can Be Fun!
Inspire Your Child in Geometry Using the Art of Origami
When One Correct Math Answer is Not Enough
Eat and Play to Understand Fractions
Math and Neurotransmitters go Together like Peanut Butter and Jelly
You might also like the book Math Trails and other Outside Math Adventures by Deborah Hale.
