Math Learning at Home

Easy & Fun Activities for Families to do at Home to Promote Children’s Mathematical Development

Invite your child to:

  1. Sort laundry by type, size, and color.
  2. Count everyday household item in the home, for example napkins, plates, cups.
  3. Add and subtract by putting items together or taking them away.
  4. Go on a number hunt.

Frying Pan Fun

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Instructional Objective: By using a frying pan, paper yolks and plastic eggs, TLWBAT match two sets of like quantities by placing the yolk on to the paper plate with the corresponding amount of dots.
New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards: Mathematics: 4.1.4
Understand the relationship between numbers and counting.
Materials needed for activity:
  • Frying pans (from the household)
  • 10 plastic eggs
  • Yellow construction paper
  • 10 paper plates
  • Spatula (form the household)
Procedures: Beginning: First, prepare all yolks and paper plates by writing a number from 1-10 and drawing the same amount of dots as the number shown. Then, place all the plastic eggs inside the frying pan and arrange the plates in a straight line on the floor or table in front of the children. After, encourage the child to choose an egg from the frying pan to work with and crack it open.

Middle: After the child has cracked open their egg, a paper yolk will fall out. Invite the child to state the number that they see written on the yolk OR count the dots to support them in identifying. After the child has identified the number, invite the child to match the number on the yolk to the corresponding paper plate with the same shown quantity by using the spatula to move the yolk.

End: After the child has matched the number/amount on the egg to the corresponding number/amount on their paper plate, invite the child to count out loud from 1 -10 while both the child/parent/teacher touch the corresponding paper plate on the floor/table.

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Counting Fun

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Instructional Objective: TLWBAT Demonstrate counting, measuring and comparing skills.
New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards: Mathematics:
1.1.1 - Count to 20 by ones with minimal prompting.
1.1.2 - Compare groups of up to 5 objects.
Materials needed for activity:
  • Ice tray(or egg carton)
  • Anything around the home (Not food, not too small) hair barrettes, hair bands, cotton balls, Legos, pom poms,or just crumbled paper
  • 2 sets of number cards 1-6 with dots on back
Procedures: Beginning: Explain to your child, “Today we will use these everyday items to count, measure and compare. That means we will use words like more, less or the same. Also, long, short, many, a few. Ask your child, “What do you think I will put inside the ice trays?” How do I know how many to put?(point out number cards/dots on back to count) Pick up the card, count and place items in one side of tray(emphasizing that the last number represents the total).

Middle: Ask your child to do the same for the other side of the tray. Ask “which side has many or few?” which one is long? short? How do we know? Which one has more? Which side has less? Then tell them the right side has 2 more, the left side has 2 less.

End: Your child will have a tray in the middle with set of numbers 1-6 on each side items to count. You can facilitate as your child follows the same steps. Ask your child to compare, measure reminding them of using the above vocabulary and questions. You may also ask “How can we make both sides of the tray the same amount?”

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Numbers Necklace

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Instructional Objective: TLWBAT understand the relationship between numbers and their quantities by spinning a numbered spinner, then quantifying for that number using straw pieces to make a necklace.
New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards: M 4.1.4 a Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities (i.e., the last word stated when counting tells “how many”):

M 4.1.2 Recognize and name one-digit written numbers up to 10 with minimal prompting.
Materials needed for activity:
  • String
  • 1 inch straw pieces
  • Paper plate number spinner
Procedures: Beginning: Invite your child to the table to make a straw necklace. Explain to your child that in order to create their necklace, they will have to use numbers. Explain that each number has a value or quantity. Give some examples of numbers and quantities using any other household items, then introduce items and explain how to use the spinner.

Middle: Invite your child to spin the spinner, identify the number, then take that many pieces of straw pieces and string them on a piece of string. Ask your child to tell you how many pieces they are using as they work. Continue this step until their necklace is completed.

End: Review the concepts of numbers and their quantities and encourage your child to tell you how many items each number means.

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