Math Mania

                      
Sorting 
 
- Buttons, dried beans/noodles, keys, shells, beads, etc. are all great 
items to have your child sort. Have your child place the items into various 
groups/piles and name how the group was formed. For example, the groups can 
be sorted by shape, color, size, thickness, types of objects (cars and not 
cars), characteristics (animals that have wings and animals that do not have 
wings). My favorite objects to have the children sort are barbie doll shoes. 

We are always looking for additions to our sorting collections. If you 
happen to have any barbie shoes or other small items you would like to 
donate to our collection, please send them in with your child. Thank you. 
 
  
 
Patterning 
 
- Many of the same items that you collected to have your child sort make 
great items to pattern. Have your child physically place various items into 
a pattern and then name the pattern that was created. For example, red car, 
blue car, red car. 

- You create a pattern and have your child complete the pattern (repeating 
at least two more times). Again, have your child name the pattern. 

- Have your child look for patterns in the world around him/her. One example 
is the stripes on a shirt. 

- Every pattern can be named with letters. Red car, blue car, red car would 
be an ABAB pattern. Blue car, blue car, red car would be an AABAAB pattern. 
You begin with the first item and call it A. When the item changes, you call 
the next item B. If two items are the same, they will have the same letter 
name. Once this is introduced to your child, you can name a letter pattern 
and your child should be able to reproduce the pattern with a given set of 
objects. 
 
  
 
Graphing 
 
- When children first begin exploring graphing, it can be very basic. A mini 
bag of M&Ms can be used to create a real life graph. Have your child sort 
the M&Ms into piles by color. After the M&Ms are sorted, he/she can place 
the M&Ms in columns or rows by color. For example, all of the red ones would 
go in the same column or row. Graphing should be done in one of two ways 
(left to right or top to bottom). Other items to use for creating a real 
life graph could include different colored or shaped noodles, buttons (how 
many holes, the color, or shape), crayons, the color eyes of each member in 
your family, etc. 
 
  
 
Numbers 0-20 
 
- The children need to be able to identify the numbers 0-20 as well as 
represent the number with objects. To incorporate both number recognition 
and counting objects, fill a baggie full of small objects such as beans and 
write the numbers 0-20 on individual index cards. Each number should have 
its own card. For example, the number 7 would be written very large on its 
own index card. Shuffle the index cards and have your child pull one card 
from the pile. Using the beans (or whatever item you have collected), have 
your child count out the appropriate number of items. For example, if your 
child pulls out the number 13, he/she will count out 13 beans and place them 
on the number card. Continue in the same manner until your child loses 
interest. Please do not have your child do this for every number in the 
stack. We want your child to enjoy learning and not become bored with the 
activity. 

- Another skill that your child should be able to do independently is count 
a given set of objects to 20. To do this, take a random number of objects 
from 1-20 and place them on the table. Have your child count the objects and 
state how many are in the set. 

- The index cards can also be used to practice placing the numbers in order 
from 0-20. Have your child place the cards in a line on the floor starting 
with the number 0 and ending with the number 20. By the end of the year, 
your child should do this without using a number line or other source as a 
reference. 
 
  
 
Shapes 
 
- Find shapes around your house or neighborhood. For example, count how many 
times you find a circle or oval. 
- Collect various objects from around the house and sort the objects into 
piles by their basic shape. 
- Practice recognizing squares that are turned on their sides. A square 
turned on its side will look similar to a diamond. Also, practice 
recognizing different kinds of triangle. The three types of triangles are 
triangles with all sides being equal, triangles with two equal sides and one 
side unequal, and triangles with all sides unequal. 
 
  
 
Time 
 
- Have your child read digital clocks as often as possible. This will also 
help with number recognition. 

- Set a small clock to a specific time (either to the hour or half hour). 
Have your child state the time. If correct, your child gets to set the clock 
and you must state the time. Your child is responsible for letting you know 
if you are correct or not. Continue taking turns stating the time and 
setting the clock until your child loses interest. 

- Make a daily or evening schedule with the digital and analog time as well 
as a picture of the activity. 

- How long is a minute? Set a timer for one minute and practice doing 
various physical activities for a minute. For example, jogging in place, 
coloring, touching your toes, waist bends, jumping jacks, etc. Discuss with 
your child why some activities felt longer or shorter than others. This will 
also get both you and your child moving. This is a good time to talk about 
the benefits of exercise. 
 
  
 
Measurement 
 
- Place 5 small objects in front of your child. Have him/her order the 
objects from tallest to shortest and then shortest to tallest. Remind your 
child to place the objects against a straight edge to ensure that the 
measurements are correct. 

- Draw various sized lines on a sheet of paper. Have your child roll play 
dough or clay snakes the same length as the lines on the paper. 

- Show your child an object. Have him/her find another object as close to 
the same size as possible. Or have your child find an object that is longer 
or shorter than the given object. 
 
  
 
Money 
 
- Collect a small pile of coins and have your child sort them according to 
type. 

- Have your child observe the various coins and state observations. 
Questions you might ask... 
"What color is a ____?" 
"Which 2 coins have ridges along the edge?" 
"What is on the back of the penny?" 
"Which coin is the largest/smallest?" 
"How much is a ____ worth?" 

- Have your child "pay" for various activities or items. To "pay," your 
child must name each coin and state the value. 
 
  
 
Fractions 
 
- Have your child practice making fair shares by splitting his/her snack 
into 2 equal parts to share with a friend. Try 3 and 4 equal parts once your 
child has mastered 2. 


-Have you child pass out something (example... cookies) to a group of 
friend. Each friend must get a fair share. Pass out one cookie at a time to 
each friend until all the cookies are passed out. Any left overs must also 
be split.  
 
  
 
Addition & Subtraction 
 
- Roll two dice. Have your child count out small objects for each number 
rolled. For example, you roll a 3 and a 2. Count out a set of 3 and a set of 
2. Then, have your child push the sets together and count to find the sum. 
For additional practice, your child could write the number sentence for the 
problem just completed. 
For subtraction, roll only one die. Count out the appropriate number of 
objects. Roll the die again and take away the appropriate number of objects 
to find the difference. Again, your child may write the number sentence for 
an additional challenge. 

- Take out only the number cards from a deck of cards. Play in the same 
manner as above except that you are pulling cards from the deck instead of 
rolling a dice. 
For a variation... 
before playing decide if the winning number will be greater or less than the 
other number. You must have 2 or more players. After all players have come 
up with the sum or difference, the player with the greater (or lesser- 
depending on what was chosen before the game began) number gets to collect 
all other players' cards. When there are no more cards, each player counts 
the cards in his/her stack. The player with the most cards is the final 
winner.