Play Placement Place Value
With a little help from grownups, almost anything can equal math
discovery for kids. Take ordinary drinking straws, for example: fun for drinking
juice and even for spitballs when you're not looking, but also fabulous for
learning math. Here's a hands-on activity to help teach your child the classic
first grade topic of “place value”—what you probably remember as telling the
difference between the “ones, tens, and hundreds” columns in a number.
What You Need:
•Construction paper
•Pencil
•20 plastic
straws
•Lined paper
•Crayons or markers
•Ruler
What to Do:
1.Set the Stage.
Students will be making a place mat and using plastic straws to show the “place value” for some three digit numbers. Use a pencil and lined paper to create a list of ten different 3 digit numbers (ex. 145, 250, 781, etc.)
2.Make a “placemat.”
Take a piece of construction paper and fold it into thirds. Using the ruler and a marker or crayon, label the top of each column with these words from left to right: “Hundreds,” “Tens,” and “Ones.”
3.Build real numbers.
Now represent each number on the placemat using the plastic straws. For example, if the number is 258, place 2 straws in the "hundreds" column, 5 straws in the "tens" column, and 8 straws in the "ones" column. Count aloud as the straws are laid down in each column. For example, count by hundreds saying "One hundred, two hundred," Then by tens saying " 10, 20, 30, 40, 50." Count by ones saying "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Finish by saying the whole number out loud, with pride and satisfaction. Repeat this process for each number on the
list!
Play Popsicle Math
Now that it’s first grade, “Math Facts” are here. This year, you can expect addition and some subtraction; then, when your child hits second grade, get ready for timed tests and even early explorations in multiplication and division. Worried? Don’t be. This is a time to be excited with your child about this new knowledge, and to explore lots of fun ways to develop it. Here’s a hands-on activity that classroom teachers use to help kids get a feel for equations and start building lifelong skills.
What You Need:
- 23 popsicle sticks
- kitchen timer
- crayons or markers
- construction paper
- child safety scissors
- 2 Ziploc bags
What You Do:
1. Label Sticks.
Hold each stick vertically and label it with one number, going from 1-20. Use the remaining three sticks to write a plus, minus, and equals sign (+, -, =) using crayons or markers.
2. Build an equation.
Start with addition. Make problems by using the popsicle sticks and holding up the answers. ( Ex. 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 1+3=4, etc.) Later, using the same popsicle sticks practice making subtraction facts and holding up the answers.
3. If you like, add a challenge. Set a kitchen timer, for example, and see if you can answer each problem correctly in three seconds or less. Or write a list of problems and keep a “scorecard” of correct equations which you can mark with a happy face or star. Moving forward, you can also extend the activity by making flashcards using construction paper, child safety scissors, and crayons or markers. Write one number per card, and make separate cards for plus, minus, and equals signs. Then, make addition and subtraction problems using the cards and holding up the answers the same way as with the popsicle sticks. When you’re done, you can save both the popsicle sticks and the flashcards in ziploc bags.
Fun with Math Facts
Trying to find another way to make practicing math facts fun? Here's a simple
activity that gives you the chance to break a "secret code" (in pasta
form) using only a few clues. Can you solve these math mysteries?
This game is a fun and easy way to practice addition and reinforce basic math
concepts.
What You Need:
What You Do:
activity that gives you the chance to break a "secret code" (in pasta
form) using only a few clues. Can you solve these math mysteries?
This game is a fun and easy way to practice addition and reinforce basic math
concepts.
What You Need:
- Large bowl
- Variety of different pasta shapes (uncooked)
- Laminated piece of tag board or cardstock inside of a sheet protector
- Erasable marker
- Small scoop
- Paper napkins
- Some blank paper and a pencil
What You Do:
- Fill the bowl with a variety of uncooked pasta shapes.
- Attach a sample of each shape to the laminated piece of tag board. With the erasable marker, label the tag board “Pasta Values”.
- Create a pasta code, assigning one numeric value to each different shape. For instance, if you have three different pasta shapes, the first shape can have a value of 2; the second, a value of 4; and the third, a value of 6.
- Once the game is set up, it's time to play. With the scoop, scoop some of the pasta into a napkin.
- Use the "Pasta Value" code to find out the total value of the pasta on the napkin. If you are not able to mentally calculate it, take a
piece of paper and a pencil to write the problem out. - After a few rounds, change the value of the pasta to give more puzzles to solve! As you progress, make the game harder by telling the
total value and only one of the pasta values to see if you can figure out what the other values are.