Fun Math for Kids: Ideas for Making Learning Math Fun

How Can I Make Learning Math Fun?

Making math more fun for your child may seem like an impossible task. On the contrary, all you will need to do is use a few hands-on materials, games or activities and you may be surprised how quickly your child becomes actively engaged in the learning process! For an example, if your child is learning how to tell time, try giving him or her a real clock to work with instead of drawing clocks on paper. Generally speaking, any time you can involve more than one of the five senses, your child is more likely to retain what he or she is learning.

Fun with Numbers

To prepare for this fun game, write a variety of numbers on index cards and place them in a bowl. Be sure the numbers you write on the cards are appropriate for your child's grade or ability level. For example, if your child is in kindergarten, you could use the numbers 0-20 and have your child identify the number he or she pulls out of the bowl. You could also have your child arrange the cards in numerical order.

If your child is in first or second grade, you could have him or her choose two cards from the bowl and add or subtract the numbers on the cards. You may also ask your child to compare two numbers and identify the larger or smaller one. For students at the third grade level, you may want to incorporate multiplication into this activity.

If your child is at the upper elementary level, you will want to write numbers that include multiple digits, fractions and decimals. Similar to the lower elementary activities, you could have your child arrange these more difficult numbers in the correct order. He or she could also compare two numbers or fractions. Your child could also choose two cards from the bowl to add, subtract, multiply or divide.

Fun with Measurement

No matter what grade your child is in, measurement is a mathematical skill area that he or she will be working with. If your child is in kindergarten, have him or her measure specific items with non-standard units of measurement. For instance, give your child a piece of yarn and ask him or her to use the yarn to determine how long the coffee table is.

If your student is a first, second or third grader, ask him or her to measure items using a standard unit of measurement, such as a ruler or tape measure. When he or she is in upper elementary school, ask your child to use a standard unit of measurement to determine surface area, perimeter or volume.