Spring is an exciting time of year. The weather is warming up, and flowers are beginning to bud on the trees. As I prepare to write this blog, I can hear the birds chirping and see the soft billowing of my curtains as the breeze gently pushes through my dining room windows. But just as I am distracted by the signs of spring around me, kids can easily get distracted from their learning as the weather reminds them that summer is just around the corner! In this blog, I will share a few tips on how to reel your kids back in with some engaging spring math activities.
Grow a Garden
Gardening is a great way to introduce and reinforce geometry skills! Kids learn about area as they graph out the plot, design the shape of the garden, plan how many plants they can grow in the allotted space, figure out how deep and far apart the seeds need to be and measure the distance for each variety of plant they want to grow. Have your child design the garden on graph paper first. Then, after your approval, allow them to bring their plan to life in the backyard!
Play Hopscotch
This classic outdoor game has been around forever and it’s a great way to explore math ideas! Encourage your young child to count out loud as they hop from one square to the next. When they reach the end, challenge them to count backward to the starting square. When you are creating the hopscotch game, leave some numbers blank so that your child has to think about what number comes next. You can even use skip counting on the squares to reach the end. Start with easy skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Then for a challenge use the game to teach your child to skip count by 3s, 4s, etc. This is a great introduction to multiplication!
Geometry in Nature
Take advantage of the warm weather and go on a nature walk with your child. How many different shapes can you find on your walk? Teach your child how to make tallies. Charge them with a clipboard and pencil and make a list of the different shapes they see. Then have them tally up the number of times they are spotted on your adventure! For older children, nature walks provide the perfect opportunity to reinforce the idea of patterns and symmetry.
In closing, spring is the perfect time to take advantage of the warm weather and explore the great outdoors. Not only is getting outside good for your well being, it’s a fun way to practice math with your kids!