Booker Hill School

There are many ways in which you can help your child to become more confident with number. Maths is part of our every day life and so giving children real life experiences will help them to become better mathematicians and to understand the role of using number in real life. Below are ideas for ways in which you can give your child some valuable experiences.

In the street

• Recognising bus numbers
• Number plate hunt. Who can find a 7? Add the numbers up.
• Comparing door numbers
• Counting – how many lampposts on the way to school?

Doing the washing

• Counting in 2s – matching shoes
• Sorting by colour and size.
• Matching/pairing up socks.
• Find four shoes that are different sizes. Can you put them in order.

Time

• What day is it yesterday, today, tomorrow?
• Use timers, phones and clocks to measure short periods of time.
• Count down 10/ 20 seconds to get to the table/ into bed etc.
• Recognising numbers on the clock. If you cover a number, what number was missing?

Food!

• Can you cut your toast into 4 pieces? Can you cut it into triangles?
• Setting the table. Counting the right number of plates etc. How many more do we need?
• Can you make shapes/ patterns out of the knives and forks. Can you put them in the right place in the drawers?
• Helping with the cooking by measuring and counting ingredients.
• Setting the timer.
• Positional language at dinner time: what is on the rice, where are the carrots etc?

Going shopping

• Readingprice tags
• Counting items into the basket
• Finding and counting coins
• Comparing weights – which is heavier

Measuring

• Are you taller than a …?
• Marking height on the wall.
• Cut hand shapes out of paper. How many hands long is the couch? How long is the table? Which is longer?
• Who has the biggest hands in our family?
• How many steps from the gate to the front door?

Shapes

• Cut a potato into shapes (circles, triangle etc). Use with paint to make pictures and patterns.
• Cut out shapes from coloured paper/ newspaper and arrange into pictures.
• Shape hunt: Can you find a square in your house (windows etc), a circle …

  

Playdough

Here’s a simple recipe:

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon cooking oil

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Half a cup of salt

food colouring and essences (optional)

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan, and heat slowly, stirring all the time until it forms a ball. Keep it wrapped in clingfilm or in a covered tub to stop it drying out.

 Then ….

• Make numerals and shapes
• Sort shapes into groups, or order by size
• Make long and short wiggly snakes.

 Games

• Putting cards into piles
• Jigsaws (you can make your own by cutting up a magazine picture)
• Snap (matching pairs) or Happy Families (collect 4 of a kind)
• Snakes and ladders or other simple dice games.
• Adding numbers on two dice.
• Bingo, with numbers or shapes
• Hopscotch

Number rhymes and songs

Eg: 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed

One fell off and bumped his head

Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said

“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

4 little monkeys jumping on the bed …

 

Your child can teach you lots more or try this website which has the words and sings it for you:

http://www.nurseryrhymes4u.com/NURSERY_RHYMES/COUNTING.html

  

Internet maths games:

www.mathszone.co.uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/

http://www.familylearning.org.uk/online_math_games.html

www.ttrockstars.com

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resources/age-specific-resources-parents/user-guides-and-taster-packs-parent-guides-support-parents/maths-parent-guides-parents