Activities for HOME
Below you will find some activities to do with your child at home or on the go. They come from a variety of sources, but many are from the Mixing in Math website, funded by the education group TERC (based in Cambridge, MA).
The site features 10 Easy At-Home Activities (also in Spanish).
The site features 10 Easy At-Home Activities (also in Spanish).
Rule It Out
Materials Needed: Math Fact Cards (It is best to have your almost-2nd-grader create these using index cards, but in a pinch here are some addition and subtraction cards to download.)
In this activity, students will both practice their math facts and also sharpen their algebraic thinking by noticing patterns and generating rules.
Have your child create a sorting rule that would result in two or three distinct piles. Some examples:
*The sum is/is not an even number (seen above)
*The sum or difference is less than/equal to/greater than 7.
*The sum is greater than/equal to/less than 10
Put at least two cards in each column. Then take turns sorting. Can you guess the rule? How do you know? Then switch roles.
From Mixing In Math
In this activity, students will both practice their math facts and also sharpen their algebraic thinking by noticing patterns and generating rules.
Have your child create a sorting rule that would result in two or three distinct piles. Some examples:
*The sum is/is not an even number (seen above)
*The sum or difference is less than/equal to/greater than 7.
*The sum is greater than/equal to/less than 10
Put at least two cards in each column. Then take turns sorting. Can you guess the rule? How do you know? Then switch roles.
From Mixing In Math
ENDURANCE: Getting Better
Keep track of how many you can do in a row with practice—skipping rope, snapping fingers, tossing a ball without dropping it, etc.
Count and keep track of how many your child can do. Record the date and his or her count in a chart. Keep track of progress over time, with or without practice.
Do you get better over time? How do you know?
Variation: change the conditions. Children investigate influences on endurance. If you are skipping rope, does it matter whether you’re barefoot or wearing shoes? What if you shut your eyes?
Literature Connection: a great companion book is Wilma Unlimited, written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by David Diaz.
From Mixing in Math
Count and keep track of how many your child can do. Record the date and his or her count in a chart. Keep track of progress over time, with or without practice.
Do you get better over time? How do you know?
Variation: change the conditions. Children investigate influences on endurance. If you are skipping rope, does it matter whether you’re barefoot or wearing shoes? What if you shut your eyes?
Literature Connection: a great companion book is Wilma Unlimited, written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by David Diaz.
From Mixing in Math
Give Me a Minute
This activity is similar to Scattergories. Pick a category such as animals and list as many as you can in a minute. (Some children may need a scribe.) After completing a few rounds, compare numbers: which list was the easiest? How many did you list? How many more did you list for that round than another round?
Easy. Use a general, familiar topic such as animals or foods.
Medium. Choose a more specific topic, such as vegetables or mammals.
Hard. Pick a narrow topic, such as vegetables that grow in the ground or mammals with hooves.
From Mixing in Math
Easy. Use a general, familiar topic such as animals or foods.
Medium. Choose a more specific topic, such as vegetables or mammals.
Hard. Pick a narrow topic, such as vegetables that grow in the ground or mammals with hooves.
From Mixing in Math
Blow By Blow
Blow small objects -- a marble, a bottle cap, a pencil, etc. -- across a table or the floor. Measure how far the objects go, to the nearest inch or centimeter. Which goes the farthest? By how much?
Blow again. Were the results the same?
Blow again. Were the results the same?