Math

Math Activities

September

Leaf Rubbing

Skill focus: Sorting

You will need: leaves, crayons, 2 sheets of white paper for each person

Gather a variety of leaves. Arrange 2 or 3 leaves on a sheet of paper. Place the second sheet of paper on top of the leaves. Rub the side of a crayon with wrapper removed on the paper so the outlines of the leaves appear. Remove the colored page and spread the leaves out on a table. Match the leaves to their rubbings using the shape of the leaves as a guide.

Apple Mania

Skill focus: Sorting, Geometry, Counting

You will need: 3 different types of apples

Sort the apples by color. Choose one to cut in half horizontally. How many parts are there? What shape is hiding inside? How many seeds can you count? Cut another apple in half vertically. Does it look different inside? What shape do you see now?

October

Jack-O-Lanterns

Skill focus: Data Collection

You will need: willing family members, pumpkin, paper, markers

Each family member designs a face for the family pumpkin. Once the designs are completed, assign a number to each design. Vote on the face that will be used to make the jack-o-lantern by writing the number of your choice on a slip of paper. Have your child sort the numbers and arrange the paper slips of each group in columns. Make sure the columns are aligned properly so your child can visualize which column has the most votes. Count the slips in each column. Which column has the most votes? Will the jack-o-lantern face be happy, scary, or funny?

Shape Creations

Skill focus: Geometry

You will need: variety of shapes cut from colored paper or newspapers

Create pictures using the various shapes. Try to make a rooster, snowman, dog, or ice cream cone.

November

In the kitchen

Skill focus: Patterns

You will need: knives, spoons, forks, cups, bowls, plates

Create a pattern with knives, forks, and spoons. An ABAB pattern (fork, spoon, fork, spoon) is appropriate to encourage for a 4-year old. Have your child first describe your pattern to you and then extend it with one or two repetitions. Try cups, bowls, and plates next!

In the Kitchen, too

Skill focus: Sequencing

You will need: ingredients to make a favorite food such as pizza, s'mores, peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Discuss how to make a favorite food. Write down the steps as the child dictates them. Make the food, following the steps exactly. If they are not in the correct sequence, discuss what went wrong and make corrections.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Skill focus: 1:1 Correspondence, Geometry

You will need: napkins, table set for dinner

Make a list of the members of the family who will be sitting at the table for Thanksgiving dinner. Determine the number by counting the names one at a time. Look at the napkins. What shape are they? Have your child count out the appropriate number of napkins. Fold each napkin in half, point to point. What shape is the napkin now? Show your child where to place the napkins and have him then place one napkin at each place setting.

December

Cookies

Skill focus: Patterns

You will need: cookies, cupcakes, icing, sprinkles, small candy pieces

Decorate the cookies or cupcakes with different colors of icing, sprinkles or candies. Then arrange them on plates in patterns, such as red, green, red, green. Have your child describe the pattern to you and then extend it with one or two repetitions. Then eat!

More Cookies

Skill focus: Counting

You will need: cookie recipe, cookie ingredients, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons

Gather all the things you need to make cookies. How many mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons do you have? Look at the numbers in the recipe. How many eggs, sticks of butter, cups of sugar or flour are needed? Count as you place the dough on the cookie sheet. How many cookies did you bake? How many did you eat?

January

Pair of Socks

Skill focus: Sorting

You will need: socks in a variety of patterns, bag

Gather pairs of socks in a variety of patterns. Separate the pairs. Spread one group of socks on the floor. Put the remaining socks in a bag. In turn, each person reaches into the bag and removes a sock. Match the sock to its pair. Once all the socks are matched talk about how the socks are the same and different (color, pattern, size)

**This same activity can be done with mittens, too.

House Count

Skill focus

You will need: one house, pair of eyes

Go on a search around the house. Start in the bathroom. Count the toothbrushes and the bars of soap. Are there the same number of each? Which has more? Less? Count the bath towels and the washcloths. Are there the same number of each? Visit the bedroom. Count the pillows and the beds. Count the windows and the doors. Next move on to the kitchen. What could you count there? Count the drawers and the cupboards. Which are there fewer of? Count the chairs and the tables. Are there the same number of each? Which are there more of? If you invited another person to eat with you, how many more chairs would you need. How many would you have around the table then?

February

Friendship Bracelets/Necklaces

Skill focus: Patterns

You will need: items to string, such as dried pasta (rigatoni or ziti), cut straws, hole-punched paper squares or cereal pieces with holes; lengths of yarn

Provide your child with a length of yarn and items to string. Wrap one end of each yarn length tightly with tape for ease in stringing. Knot the other end around an item such as a pencil, fork, etc. to prevent pieces from slipping off. Have your child choose two materials and lay out a pattern on the table. You may need to assist in beginning an appropriate pattern (ziti, cereal, ziti, cereal). Describe her pattern by saying it aloud using vocal inflection to encourage stringing the objects in sequence.

Shape Hunt

Skill focus: Geometry, Data Collection

You will need: a created chart, 9X12 piece of paper

Fold the piece of paper in half vertically and then fold again, making 4 columns. At the top of each column draw one of the four shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle).

Look for shapes around the house:

face of a clock

buttons

books

tiles

rugs

windows

washcloth

mirror

bar of soap

kitchen towels

Make a mark for each sighting. When finished hunting, add up all the marks. Which shape did you find the most of? Least?

March

Musical Glasses

Skill focus: Ordering

You will need: 5, 12-oz. drinking glasses, a wooden spoon, and food coloring

Pour water into glasses so that the levels vary and can be ordered from least to most. Add a different color of food coloring to each glass. Arrange the glasses so notes are out of order. Let your child order the glasses by water level. Strike the top of the glass gently with the wooden spoon and listen. Strike the glasses in ascending and descending order.

April

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

Skill focus: Measuring

You will need: large, clear container

Place the large, clear container outside on a rainy day. When the rain has ended, bring the container inside and mark the water level. Date the marking and empty the container. Repeat for several rainy days. Talk about the days with the most and the least rain.

May

Body Tracing

Skill focus: Measuring

You will need: several brown paper grocery bags, marker

Flatten bags by cutting down one edge of bag and along the four bottom edges. Tape as many bags together as necessary to allow the body of your child to be traced. After you have traced your child, ask him to hold his hand with fingers spread apart. Explain that this is called a hand span which he will use to measure his body length. Measure the tracing of your child in hand spans, starting at his feet. The last hand span probably will not fit completely on the body tracing so you can round up to the next number and use the word about to describe the length.

June

Subtraction Concentration

Skill focus: Operations

You will need: index cards, crayons or markers

Number a set of index cards 1-10. Mix up the cards and lay them out facedown. The first player turns over a card. If it is a 10, she keeps it and gets another turn. If not, the card is replaced and the second player gets a turn. Once the 10 is found, the players continue to look for 9, 8, 7, etc. When the 1 is found, the game is over. The player with the most cards wins.

Around the Kitchen

Skill focus: Operations

You will need: table settings

After dinner, have your child count the number of utensils on the table. As the child clears the table, talk about how many utensils are left on the table.