My Darling Tots

Math

There are so many components of math. We are only going to mention four:

Measuring,

Money,

Time, and

Fractions.

As always these activities can be use for any subject area and grade level. If you click on one of the Math components you will be given tips and activities you and your child can do at home to practice each skill.

Measuring

Measuring up some real good learning

Things you will need:

Paper

Crayons

Binder

Easy-to-read cookbooks or recipes

Pencils

Directions:

Allow your child to help you cook. Give them the recipe or allow them to find their own and encourage them to find the different measurements needed. Tell your child the sound it makes and ask your child to cut out pictures of things that begin with that sound.

You may have to assist with measurements, reading the instructions, and preparing the meal if hot items are needed.

Enjoy yourselves as you all cook up a great educational meal.

Optional

Create a menu for the day with everything you’re going to cook. Appetizers, entrée, dessert and allow them to practice their measuring skills. Or parents can ask questions verbally and have child respond in writing, or vice versa.

(See ‘Shopping for Words’ in the Writing sections for extension activity).

Inch for inch and pound for pound

Things you will need:

Ruler

Scale

Measuring tape

Anything else you use for measuring things

Directions:

Introduce your child to all the different ways to measures things.

Measure each other's body parts, height, weight, as well as objects in the house. Have them make a list of all the things they measured and begin to compare.

Have your child lift different objects and guess how much it may weigh. Put it on the scale and begin to discuss how some things can be the same size but different weights.

As you cook allow them to measure meats into pounds and ounces.

This is also a great way to teach kids portion size.

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Money

Tips

Allow them to empty your change purse and put the coins in the correct piles.

Have them retrieve coins telling you what they are and how much it’s worth.

How much are you willing to pay!

Things you will need:

Play money

Paper/pencils

Sticky notes

Tape

Directions:

Price items around the house. Give your child play money.

Make price tags out of paper or sticky notes. Keep whole numbers for beginners. For example, 10, .25, 1.00, 5.00, etc. For advance students, introduce dollars and change. For example, .99, 1.89, 2.49, etc. …

Put price tags on certain items that your child normally asks for. As they want something they will have to pay you with the correct amount. Sell them breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, etc… be creative and have fun.

How much will this cost me?

Things you will need:

Money

Directions:

When going to the supermarket kids always want you to buy them something. So before you leave the house give them a certain amount of money or allow them to get money from their piggy bank.

When you get to the store have them read labels to see how much the items cost that they want. Encourage them to figure out what they can buy with the amount of money they have.

Or, when you go to the supermarket encourage them to read labels and tell you how much it cost. If they get it correct, you will buy.

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Time

There’s a Time for Everything

Things you will need

Watch

Clocks

Pen

Index cards

Directions

Make a clock (see hand out).

Connect time to every day routines – bed time, meal time, time to walk the dog, the time their favorite TV show starts and ends, time to brush their teeth, etc.….

Use index cards or a sheet of paper and have your child draw pictures of that specific time.

On the front of the index card to draw a clock with a specific time. On the back of the card have your child write down what they are supposed to do at that time.

If possible purchase your child a digital watch with an alarm. Set the alarm at various times. When the alarm goes off encourage your child to tell you what time it is.

Tip

Anytime your child asks you what time it is, encourage them to figure it out giving hints for them to guess the correct time.

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Fractions

May I Have a Fraction of Your Food?

Things you will need

Food

Cutting utensils

Directions:

When serving snacks at lunch try letting your child eat fractions of their food. Some of the easier snacks to fractionalize are sandwiches, pizza, round fruit.

Show your child the whole item. Cut it in half and explain you still have a whole pizza it is just cut into halves ½. Cut the pizza again to make quarters ¼.

Begin to show them how 4/4 makes a whole and 2/4 makes a half.

Start off with 4/4 allow them to reach one quarter (¼ ) and ask them how many are left. Do the same with three-quarters (¾)…and so on.

Later you can begin to ask how much would they like? …half or ¼?

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Activities / Tips