math facts | There's Just One Mommy

Subtraction Squish!

OneMommy — Tue, 19 May 2020 02:51:51 +0000

Every teacher knows that as the end of the school year draws near, it’s harder to keep the focus on schoolwork. The same is true if you homeschool.

This week we’ve been having fun with this simple hands-on subtraction activity.

This is one of our favorite kinesthetic math activities for kindergarten. It’s perfect for teaching kids about subtraction.

Affiliate links have been provided in the post below.

Once your child understands the concept of subtraction, you may want to check out these other fun ways to practice math facts at home.

Subtraction Squish: Hands-On Math Subtraction Activity

Setting up this subtraction activity is super simple.

First use a piece of masking tape to create a number line on the kitchen floor. We are working on subtraction facts up to 20, so our number line went from 1-20. You can easily adjust this to fit your individual child’s needs.

Next, have the kids roll quite a few balls from play dough. (This is great for improving fine motor skills!)

You can use store bought, or try making this super soft homemade play dough.

Then it’s time to play!

You can ask a variety of subtraction problems aloud. You could also use flashcards with this activity, allowing them to work independently.

Once you ask the subtraction problem, have your child line up the correct number of play dough balls and then squish them to find the right answer. (For instance, if the problem was 10-6, they would put a ball on each number up to 10, and then squish 6 of the balls. Looking at the remaining un-squished spheres, helps them see the answer is 4.)

You’ll find more hands-on learning ideas in our book ABC’s & 123’s: 40 Hands-On Play Activities to Build Letter, Number and Shape Skills.

Not only is Subtraction Squish a fun hands on subtraction activity, it is also a great sensory activity, too!

The kids had fun squishing the play dough in a variety of ways, including with their toes. Looking to add another level to the sensory fun? Try using Tutti Frutti Scented Dough.

Fun Ways to Practice Math Facts at Home

OneMommy — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 16:09:51 +0000

Chances are if you have a child in elementary school they are working on memorizing math facts.

And, chances are, whether they are in 1st grade and are working on addition and subtraction, or they are older and are memorizing multiplication and division facts, you hear a lot of grumbling when you get out the flashcards.

Stop the grumbling and get them excited to learn with these fun ways to practice math facts at home.

It’s amazing the difference a few simple math games can make.

Affiliate links may be used in this post for your convenience. See my full disclosure for more details.

I remember doing speed drills in elementary school and flipping through flash cards at home.

Educational games for kids, like these games to practice math facts, make learning those facts much more fun, which means less stress for both of you.

When your child gets to double digit math, check out this trick for teaching double digit addition and subtraction.

Fun Ways to Practice Math Facts

Baseball Math — This printable game makes working on multiplication facts fun. Your child can play it solo or with a friend.

Nerf Gun Math — Turn your child’s love for Nerf guns into a fun learning experience they’ll ask to do again and again.

Math Checkers — Love checkers? Print out your own checker board that’s designed to work on multiplication facts.

Chutes & Ladders with a Twist — Playing board games as a family is always fun. With one simple twist you can use a classic board game to sneak in some addition and subtraction facts practice.

Beach Ball Math — Get ’em up and moving while they learn. A game of catch is all it takes for kids to have a ball with math facts.

Multiplication Facts Search — Just like a word search, only for math! These are perfect for kids in 3rd grade and up.

Classic Kids Card Games — Discover how you can use 2 classic kids card games to help your child master those math facts.

Hammer in the Math Facts — Hammering nails is always a fun activity for kids. Turn that activity into a fun way to practice math facts with this idea. You can easily substitute a thick piece of Styrofoam for the pumpkin.

15 in a Row — Turn those flashcards into a fun game you’ll both enjoy.

Cootie Catcher Math Practice — Do you remember making paper fortune tellers (some called them cootie catchers) as a child? Your child will have fun using these folded papers to work on math skills.

Math Fact Dominoes — Create your own craft stick math dominoes for your child to use to work on those basic math problems.

Math Races — Make flashcards more fun with this kinesthetic math activity.

Dice Math — Have a collection of dice at home? Use them in this fun dice game to practice math facts.

Egg Carton Math — Recycle that empty egg carton into a fun way for your child to work on addition or subtraction skills.

Math Fact Islands — Do your kids love hopping and jumping? Get their wiggles out while they work on those basic math skills.

Math Facts Zap! — Have you ever heard of Zap? (Sometimes people call it Kaboom or Snap.) It’s a super easy game that kids can play alone or against a friend. How many math facts can you get correctly before you get the Zap?

Math Building Cards — This is a fun STEM activity for kids that’s perfect for working on math as well as engineering skills.

Matching Hearts Math — Make your own memory game to work on those math skills. This version is done with hearts, but you could use other shapes or plain note cards as well.

Plastic Egg Math Hunt — Those colorful eggs aren’t just for candy. This math facts activity idea is perfect for kids of all ages.

Math Facts Bingo — Everyone loves Bingo! Print out these addition and subtraction bingo cards to make learning more fun.

Who says working on math has to be boring?

Try some of thes fun ways to practice math facts at home.

Games to Practice Math Facts

The post Fun Ways to Practice Math Facts at Home first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Hidden Treasure Math Fact Zap Game

OneMommy — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 20:08:40 +0000

Chances are if you have a child in elementary school they have math facts they need to practice at home each week.

Flashcards are boring. But there are fun ways to practice math facts with the kids.

Since kids love treasure hunts, we decided to mix math facts and hunting into a few St. Patrick’s Day math activities.

One of our favorites was this treasure hunt zap math game.

It’s a fun way to practice math this March.

Learning becomes more fun when you use games for kids.

Using the plastic coins and rainbow colored water beads turns this twist to the craft stick Zap! game into a fun St. Patrick’s Day math activity.

Your child will also love this Nerf gun math activity.

St. Patrick’s Day Math Activity

Affiliate links have been provided below. See my full disclosure for more details.

Materials Needed:

Water Beads
Plastic Coins (Try gold coins!)
Fine Tip Permanent Marker
Shallow Plastic Container

Use the permanent marker to write a math fact on one side of each of the plastic coins. This is the perfect opportunity to pick the math facts your child needs to focus on.

On one or two coins write the word “Zap!”

Spread the water beads into your shallow container.

Flip the coins upside down and hide them among the colored water balls.

Challenge your child to “hunt for the treasure.”

When they find a coin, they must solve the math problem correctly in order to keep it. If they get the answer wrong, they have to put it back to try again later.

How many can they find and solve before they pull a “zap” coin?

Zap Math Game

You can easily modify the activity to be used with 2-3 players.

Have players sit around the container and take turns finding coins and answering the math facts.

If they solve the problem correctly, they get to keep the coin. If they pull a “zap” they must put all their coins back into the water beads.

Whoever has the most coins a the end of 5 minutes wins.

Looking for a way to make math fact practice at home fun?

Make your own St. Patrick’s Day Math Facts Zap Game and get ready to watch your child have fun while working on math.

Super Fun Math Activity for Kinesthetic Learners

OneMommy — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 15:39:24 +0000

She was supposed to be working on her spelling words, but out of the corner of my eye I could see her turning around, watching as I carefully lined up our flashcards across the kitchen floor. I knew I had her interest piqued.

Sitting still is something my daughter doesn’t do. That’s one reason I am constantly looking for fun ways to learn math facts that let her move.

This simple hands-on math activity for kinesthetic learners was so much fun, I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Affiliate links have been provided below.

kinesthetic math activity:

This activity can be set up for use by an individual or you can set it up “race style” for multiple students. To set it up for an individual, grab the flashcards for the math facts you wish to focus on and create a path for your child to follow. Make it fun! Have the flashcards go down the hallway, under the kitchen table, or even up the stairs.
Have your child follow the path. In order to step onto the next card, they must answer it correctly.

To set up the math activity for two or more students, line up your flash cards side by side. Make sure each row of flashcards has the same number of cards.
Have students start at the first card. In order to move on to the next flashcard, they must answer the math fact correctly. If they make a mistake, have them take one step back. Who can get to the finish line first?

Now we have another way to make math fact practice fun.

Want to make it even more fun? Let your child crawl along the path. (My 6 year-old pretended to be a puppy while doing this kinesthetic math activity.)

Your child may even like to hop like a bunny!

You can find even more fun hands-on learning activities your child will love in our ebook ABC’s & 123’s.

Helpful Tips:

- You can do this activity with addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems. To make it even mre challenging, mix it up and use different types of problems!
- Flashcards with oversized numbers make seeing the problems easier during this activity.
- To keep your flashcards looking nice you may want to laminate them first.
- Keep your flashcards from sliding around with a small piece of painter’s tape. (This is especially important when two overly-excited siblings are racing each other!)
- Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate when your sibling is shouting answers next to you. These noise-reducing earmuffs come in handy! (They’re also perfect for blocking out big sister’s rendition of “Let It Go.”)
- If you are having a race you may want to have a small prize, although it isn’t necessary. The race itself was enough motivation for my two.

We have been having lots of fun with this kinesthetic math activity this week.

It’s so simple to set up and much more fun than your typical flashcard drills. These math games also make math practice more fun.

If you’re looking for more kinesthetic learning ideas check out these great posts:

- Subtraction Squish
- Read to the Top
- Simon Says with a Reading Twist
- Fun with Fractions: 7 Tactile and Kinesthetic Games from We Are Teachers

The post Super Fun Math Activity for Kinesthetic Learners first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Easy Kinesthetic Math Activity to Practice Skip Counting

OneMommy — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 00:52:18 +0000

It was the third time I saw her staring out the window, ignoring her schoolwork. The sun was shining; the birds were singing. It was a beautiful spring day. No doubt about it, spring fever has definitely set in.

My daughter is a kinesthetic learner. She needs to move. It’s the reason we do activities like our kinesthetic math races and Nerf gun math. (Well, that and because they’re fun.)

As she gazed out the window I realized what a perfect opportunity we had. I grabbed the sidewalk chalk and we headed outside.

This simple kinesthetic math activity to practice skip counting is perfect for learners when the weather is too good to stay inside.

If you are looking for fun activities for skip counting, check out our apple-themed skip counting for fall.

Skip Counting Activity

It’s super simple to set up this math activity.

Use sidewalk chalk to write the numbers in order in a straight line. We were working on counting by 3’s, but you could use this activity to work on counting by 5’s or 10’s (or any other number).

Have your child stand at the beginning of the line. Have them hop on the number as they read it aloud. Repeat the activity several times.

Want to make it even more fun?

Have your child say the numbers in different voices as they hop. Can you whisper the numbers? This time say the numbers in your silliest voice.

Why practice skip counting? Skip counting helps kids learn multiplication facts.

If your child is ready for that step, try having them say the math facts aloud while they hop. (3 x 1 = 3, 3 x 2 = 6, 3 x 3 = 9, etc.)

This simple math activity is the perfect way to get kids up and moving while learning to skip count.

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Addition and Subtraction Math Facts Bingo

OneMommy — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 15:45:58 +0000

There is just something about getting to call out, “Bingo!” Not only is it a fun game, but bingo is also an easy way to review a variety of school subjects. Your child will have fun practicing math facts with this simple printable math bingo game. (Get your copy here.)

(Related Post: Have a Ball with Math Facts.)

Math Facts Bingo

To play you will need:

Free Printable Bingo Cards and Fact Callers (Get yours here.)
Bingo Card Markers

Print out the bingo cards. To make them last longer you can laminate them or print them on cardstock. To play, cut out the fact callers and place them in a hat. The caller can pull out a math fact to read to the players. If they have the answer on their bingo card, they can mark the square.

Or, you can do what I have done. Slide the math facts sheet into a plastic sleeve. Then use a dry-erase marker to mark off facts as you call them.

Plastic buttons make great bingo card markers. You can also use bingo chips, squares of colored paper, or small candies. (Small candies are always a hit!)

Just like normal bingo, five in a row wins.

Math Fact Bingo makes addition math fact practice more fun. Click here to sign up for my twice monthly newsletter and get your free copy today. (Edited to add: You will receive subtraction math bingo, too!)