Ideas for Maths at Home
(from Ministry of Education)
Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns
Help your child to:
- count forwards and backwards (starting with numbers like 10,098, 10,099, 10,100, 10,101 then back again)
- find and read large numbers in your environment eg nineteen thousand, three hundred and twenty-three
- learn number pairs to 100 eg 81 and what equals 100?
- read car number plates, look at the car’s odometer to see how far you’ve gone
- work out patterns – make codes from numbers.
Here's a tip - being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning – even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school.
Use easy, everyday activities
Involve your child in:
- making and organising lunch or a meal for a party or a hui, including equal sharing of fruit/biscuits/sandwiches/drinks
- helping at the supermarket – choose items to weigh. Look for the best buy between different brands of the same items (breakfast cereal, spreads like jam or honey)
- practising times tables – check with your child or their teacher which times tables you could help your child with
- telling the time e.g., 5 past, 10 past, 20 past, ¼ to, 25 to...
Here's a tip - mathematics is an important part of everyday life and there are lots of ways you can make it fun for your child.
For wet afternoon/school holidays/weekends
Get together with your child and:
- play card and board games that use guessing and checking
- do complicated jigsaw puzzles
- look through junk mail – find the most expensive and cheapest item advertised or make into strips to make a woven mat
- make a roster for jobs around the house
- plan for a special event on a budget; eg afternoon tea for a grandparent, teacher or family friend
- play outside games – cricket, basketball, mini-golf and soccer
- bake – follow a simple recipe (scones, pikelets)
- use blocks that fit together to make a model. Draw what it looks like from each side and above. Then draw what they think it looks like from underneath. Once finished, check the underneath of the real object against the drawing
- make water balloons and see how far you could throw them (outside!!) and how far the water splatters
- collect the family and whānau birthdays and put in order – make a reminder calendar for the year.
Here's a tip - the way your child is learning to solve mathematics problems may be different to when you were at school. Get them to show you how they do it and support them in their learning.