(303) 979-9077
(303) 979-9077
[email protected]The holidays are in full swing and with Christmas – one of the largest celebrated holidays in the US, right around the corner – it’s time to give to those we love and hold dear. So many kids are inundated with lots and lots of stuff during the holidays. There is evidence that giving experiences to kids is really the best gift of all, however, perhaps the second best gift to give kids is something fun that teaches kids. Something, maybe, with math?
For kids who totally dig math, math gifts are a treat. They might even have math games on their wish list. Kids who typically don’t love math are a littler trickier. While math games might not be anywhere on there want list, getting them a surprise math gift could be the right move, because getting them the right game has the potential to encourage them to think about math in new ways. With that said, here are some recommendations for math games that are fun, challenging and might make great gifts for math loving (or not) kids in your life.
Ages 1+
This is a counting book, which is always a great start with preschoolers to introduce them to and get them comfortable with numbers. It uses big, bold graphics and it shows dots which increase throughout the book so that toddlers can count the dots and preschoolers can understand the division of dots, thus setting them up for adding and subtracting. Because this is a book, it can be incorporated into any regular reading time, which most toddlers and preschoolers have.
Ages 2+
These are super classic and great way to tactically connect numbers and spatial recognition, while entertaining busy little hands! They come in colors and neutral and both are good, but neutral might be better for imagination. They can become anything in a child’s mind as they build.
Ages 5+
These are great ways to combine creativity with exposure to early engineering. They involve using pieces to put together different vehicles such as jeeps, ships, bulldozers etc. They’re great for building fine motor skills and patience and they also teach spatial recognition, fractions, volume and area.
Ages 8+
Math dice is a great stocking stuffer! The objective is to roll the two 12-sided dice and multiply them together to get a number. Then you roll the other three normal dice and either add, subtract, multiply or divide them to build an equation that is equal or as close as possible to equal to the number given from the 12 sided dice. It’s so great for practicing fast, mental math.
Ages 8+
This is a puzzle that’s a lot like a giant version of Sudoko, where you use colored wood balls. There are multiple levels of difficulty that start for 8 years old and up. This will set them up to be Sudoko masters!
Ages 10+
This game of logic is the Jr. version of the harder, more adult version. The purpose is to shift cars and trucks that are in your way to make a clean path to exit. There are 40 levels to work through and it is a great brain teaser for even the best little logicians.
Ages 12+
Who says that math is always so serious? This is a perfect gift for the little prankster in your life. We put it under middle school, but really it’s intended to be funny for kids all the way to adults who love math. Tribometry, algebra, statistics and engineering are all topics covered in this book dedicated to seeing math ideas through puns and bad dad jokes. It’s also great because it can help kids understand math concepts in a different and creative way.
IcoSoKu Brainteaser Puzzle – 3D Puzzle – Block Puzzle
Ages 12+
This is a brainteaser with thousands of games. There are triangular tiles with dots on them that are placed between buttons with numbers on them. You place triangular tiles on them in arrangements so that the dots equal the numbered buttons they’re touching. You can control the number of buttons you place on the game and yet every puzzle can be solved and the combinations are endless.
Ages 14+
This is a magnetic tactile toy where you can take pieces out and stick to others to make different structures. There are 192 rare earth magnets and 36 pieces to it and once it’s taken a part, it’s a great challenge to get it back to the ball shape. This would be suitable for younger ages too, except some of the pieces are pretty small.
Mathnasium Gift Certificate
Remember what we said about experiences being the best gifts for kids? The Mathnasium experience will not disappoint. Whether a child in your life is struggling with math or needing to be more challenged by math, our instructors are sure to make sure your child is instilled with numerical fluency and number sense – a gift that will last forever! Call (720) 307-2966 to talk to our staff about gift certificate options.
