Teachers and adults can try out and discuss math activities for kids in the classroom and at home. The Ideas at Work series aims to highlight real-world examples of adults finding the math in activities, games, and everyday life.
January 23, 2024
Counting is a part of young children’s everyday life. They love to count everything from the stairs they climb to the crackers they eat. But what is counting? To adults, counting seems very simple, but…
Many of children’s favorite board games follow a path to a goal. Exploring a number path with young children also leads to a goal that is critical for early mathematics: understanding number relationships. What is…
It turns out that mathematical thinking is developed in conversation with others; asking students “how do you know that?” will reveal a child’s mathematical reasoning skills. The ability to explain one’s thinking is a cognitive…
To encourage teachers and other adults to use rekenreks, it's important to not only go over ways to use a rekenrek, but also we thought we would make sure everyone has opportunities to have them,…
Cooking with kids is a natural way to do math together. But we're not talking about turning meal preparation into a formal math lesson. Cooking together presents an opportunity that is more about noticing and…
With young children at home, there’s always cleaning to be done. So why not include them in completing the chores? Chores can engage everyone in the household in a little “math all around us” problem-solving.
Stamping or imprinting with a homemade playdough recipe using everyday household items is an active way for children to explore the big ideas of shape.
Putting groceries away is necessary work for families. Sharing this work with our children turns an everyday task into a hands-on shape activity.
Warm weather and more daylight hours mean now is a great time to take advantage of outdoor spaces. There are so many ways to incorporate math into your child’s outside activity.
Do you remember enjoying fingerplay songs like 5 Little Monkeys or Un Elefante Se Balanceaba when you were young? You may not have realized that sharing these songs is a great way to bring math…