On the Families page there is an introductory video that describes how you can help your child learn about mathematics and support their learning at school.
One of the ideas suggested is creating a maths kete at home. The kete will include materials that are helpful in learning about maths through making and finding things and playing games together. This page gives you a list of things that you can find around your house or can get cheaply from discount shops. For each item in your kete there are ideas and links to the Maths at Our House activity pages as well as links to number knowledge activities. Many of the activities are games and have cards or boards that you can print off and add to your kete.
Click on the link under each image to see the suggestions for that item.
- Use in common board games. These are good practice counting small numbers.
- Roll dice in pairs. Add all the dots, subtract the smallest from the largest or multiply the two together.
- Roll dice to make the digits of a number then double it or multiply by a set number (x10 or x5).
Number knowledge activities:
Medium
Harder
- Remove face cards and use as number cards 1-10. You will need to ensure your child understands that the aces represent 1s.
- Use to play Snap, Happy Families, or Go Fish. These games are all good for number identification practice.
Number knowledge activities:
Easier
Medium
Harder
Wooden puzzles & blocks (see ideas)
- Use as puzzles or building blocks to build understanding of shape and space.
- Use building blocks like Lego to practice multiplication: how many 2 blocks make an 8 block? (how many groups of 2 make 8?).
- Use for checking estimates when solving problems
- Practice reading numbers
- Exploring what happens to the place values when adding and subtracting 1, 10, 100, or 1000 to a number
Number Knowledge Activities
Medium
Harder
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Pens, paper, scissors etc. (see ideas)
- Practice basic facts and writing numbers.
- Draw number lines for figuring out sums.
Number knowledge activities:
Easier
Medium
Harder
Tape measures or rulers (see ideas)
- Use to measure things in millimeters, centimetres and metres.
- Use as a number line.
- Use to create line drawings of shapes.
Number knowledge activities:
Easier
Harder
- Use to play "shop" and practice paying and making change.
- Use coins to skip count in 10s, 20s and 50s (half dollars).
- Play: How much more to make a 1 dollar?
Number knowledge activities:
Easier
- Play the game of dominoes or use as sets of dots to add and subtract and multiply.
- Play Pick up Stix and then calculate the score by making each colour a different value.
- Counting
- Sorting according to different characteristics (colour, size, etc)
- Ordering in size from smallest to largest, shortest to tallest etc.
- Counting the number in different categories and creating a graph (statistics)
Number Knowledge Activities
Easier
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- Counting to 20 by making a numberline
- Skip counting in 2s by alternating colours on the numberline
- Skip counting in 5s by using 4 plain and then 1 special as the 5s sequence
- Creating arrays to model times tables 3x4 looks like 3 rows of 4 stickers, 4x 3 looks like 4 rows of 3 stickers etc.
Number Knowledge Activities
Easier
- Decades (using stickers to create a numberline 9 of one kind and a special or different sticker for each decade number)
Medium
- Make and talk about different lengths
- Make and talk about different weights
- Make and explore the properties of shapes
- Cut into parts (fractions) and talk about these.
Practical Activities
Easier
Medium
Harder
- Make and sort collections
- Count groups of shells
- Talk about ways to group shells to make counting easier
Practical Activities
Easier
Medium
- Use for sorting and counting containers
- Order empty food and drink containers by their volume (Which holds more?)
- Exploring volume with water or sand play (How many of these can fit in one of those?)
- Exploring fractions with measuring cups and measuring spoons
Number Knowledge Activities
Easier
- Talk about the shapes and patterns in the fabric
- Talk about symmetry
- Measure the shapes and talk about their sizes
Practical Activities
Easier
Harder
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