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.

You may also like:

• Drive to the Sight Word
• Build a Craft Stick Catapult 
• How to Make a Soda Pop Geyser

Originally published May 4, 2015. 

The post Subtraction Squish! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Those first few years working on math facts at home may not seem too difficult, but then comes 5th grade and tons of fraction work.  They’re adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing, working with common denominators…  

It’s easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated.  

These simple and fun hands-on equivalent fractions activities will help your child feel more confident when it comes to math class. 

There are so many things kids have to learn when it comes to fractions.  

They learn how to add and subtract them, find the greatest common factor (GCF) and lowest common denominator (LCD), multiply and divide…  Fractions took over our whole year when we worked on 5th grade math.  

If you have a young child, cooking provides lots of opportunities to introduce fractions and measuring.    You can make fractions fun for older kids with the ideas below. 

Hands On Equivalent Fractions Activities 

Paper Plate Equivalent Fractions Activity —  Paper plates provide a cheap and simple way to help kids better visualize fractions.  Not only that, but they also help kids really see how different fractions are equal.  

Equivalent Fraction Bump!  — Kids love playing Bump!  This fraction version uses plastic building blocks and has them marking fractions on the playing card as they battle it out to see who can find the most fractions that are equivalent.  

Matching Apples Fractions Game — Can you find the equal fractions on the apple cards?  Turn all the cards over, mix them up, and use them to play your very own game of memory.

S’Mores Fractions Match-Up — Everyone loves s’mores.  With 3 ways to use these cards to work on fractions, kids will have fun matching up the word cards to the fraction, finding fractions of equal size, and determining which fraction is the largest.  

Star Wars Themed Fraction Game  — Play this  fraction card game just like the classic Go Fish game.  It would be fun to play at home for extra practice or to have in a math center at school.  

Equivalent Fraction Bingo — Kids will have fun with this free online game that gives them instant feedback as they hunt for which fractions are equal to each other. 

Fractions Dominoes — This printable game is a fun way to practice equivalent fractions.  Before playing kids should have a basic understanding of equivalent fractions, and how to find them.

Fraction Man — This fraction game is based on the Old Maid card game.  Kids will have fun plracticing equivalent fractions using numbers, models, and number lines.

Match the Hearts — This Valentine’s Day themed math activity is perfect for February.  

Equivalent Fractions Card Game — Kids will have to think fast about what fractions they can use to fill up their circle before their opponent in this free printable card game.  

Whether you homeschool, teach in the classroom, or you’re a parent trying to help boost your child’s understanding of math at home, these equivalent fractions activities will make that math practice more fun.  

You may also like:

• Kinesthetic Math Activities for Kids That NEED to Move
• Dr. Seuss Math Activities 
• DIY Math Manipulatives to Help Kids with Double Digit Math

The post Simple & Fun Hands On Equivalent Fractions Activities for Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

When it comes to apple activities for kids, this skip counting activity with apples is perfect for preschool and kindergarten.  

Practicing skip counting helps kids in math later on when they start working on multiplication and division facts.    We also had fun with this outdoor skip counting activity.

Skip Counting Activity with Apples

You can make your very own apple-themed math manipulatives with plastic bottle caps and a black permanent marker.    (You can also do lots of fun apple-themed math activities with pom-poms.) 

Plastic bottle caps and lids are super handy when it comes to inexpensive learning materials.  I have a small box where I toss them until I want to use them for something.  

For this apple math activity, you will want to use bottle caps that are red, green, and yellow to match the colors of apples.  (If you can’t find caps in those colors, the caps can be spray painted red.)

Don’t have a big lid collection?  You could also cut apples from cardstock.  Draw simple circle apples and your child can even help cut them out for some built-in scissor practice!

To create manipulatives for skip counting, determine what your child needs to work on.  

I decided to make one set of apples to practice counting by 5’s up to 100 because both of my kids were working on this.  I simply wrote the numbers on the lids with a black permanent marker (5, 10, 15…)   

Of course, you could make a set to work on counting by 2’s, 10’s, or any other number as well.  And, you don’t have to go all the way to 100, or you could make your set go further.  

Make this skip counting activity fit the needs of your individual child.

There are several ways you can use your “apples.”  

First, have your child put them in order to practice skip counting.  

Then, try setting up the numbers in order and removing some of the plastic bottle caps.  

Have your child tell you which numbers need to go in the empy spots.  

You can also use the lids to practice skip counting backwards.

Want to make it more challenging?

You can throw in some random numbers that would not be used when counting by 5’s, such as “12.”

More Apple Themed Skip Counting Activities for Kids

Add some movement to the activity by placing the “apples” around the house and have your child “pick them” in the correct order.

Use the apples to work on comparisons.  On a white board draw a greater than/less than sign and have them choose two apples to put on the white board to make the greater than/less than statement true.

Like this idea?

You might want to check out our other apple-themed learning activities!

• Apple-Themed CVC Word Scavenger Hunt
• Apple Tasting
• Apple-Scented Bubble Dough

The post Apple-Themed Skip Counting Activity first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.