Home Integration

In the Kitchen:  

• Cooking and baking are natural ways to explore estimation, measurement, and fractions. Encourage your child to double a recipe or measure 1 cup of an ingredient using 1/2 or 1/3 measuring cups. 

In the Yard:  

• Gardening provides opportunities for students to expand their geometry and measurement concepts. Calculate area and perimeter to design a garden plot. Measure the distance needed between plants and vegetables. Collect data and track plant growth using graphs or a calendar. Use the sun to estimate the time of day and compare it to an analog clock. 

In the Pool/On a Walk:  

• Count laps, calculate a swimmer’s total distance, time swimmers, measure dive distances, and find the area and volume of a pool. Recognize shapes within the pool area.

• While walking, count steps, estimate how many steps it takes to reach a landmark, find math in nature, and practice facts using your walking cadence. Ask questions such as: “What if I doubled my speed?” or “What if my stride were half as long?” 

At an Activity:  

• Miniature golf, baseball games, soccer fields, and basketball courts all provide opportunities for students to learn more about geometry and angles. Use golf obstacles, batting stance, leg/ankle position, or the backboard to help guide the ball to a desired location. Sports are also great for practicing fractions, decimals, and percentages. Track runs batted in, yardage gained, win/loss records, and turn them into real-world fractions. 

In the Car:  

• Practice those math facts!  Use signs, license plates, billboards to keep your children busy while traveling.  For example:  

  • • • Determine the start number and/or rule (e.g., if the speed limit is 65, start at 65 and add or subtract 10 or 100).

      • Use digits creatively (e.g., for 65, add, subtract, or multiply 6 and 5, or other number combinations they see).

      • Whoever reaches 100 first wins.

      • If the exit number is 3, practice the 3-times table. 

• Teach your child about rates: “We are driving 60 miles per hour, and we need to get to Grandma’s house, which is 120 miles away (how long will it take?).” 

Family Game Night:  

• There are numerous math games that can be enjoyed by children and adults of all ages. In fact, there are so many that it is often easier to search online. Try searching for: 

  • • • Math Dice Games

      • Math Card Games

      • Family Math Games

Dice and Card Games for Fact Practice  

5 Math Games You Can Play to Make Practice Fun

Games to Play with a Deck of Cards