It’s no secret that maths can be a tough subject for some kids to get their head around. If your homeschooler is struggling with maths, or if you’re just looking for some fun and creative ways to teach them, then look no further! Here are 10 fun ideas for teaching maths to homeschoolers.
1. Get competitive with board games that focus on maths skills.
Games like Monopoly, Cluedo, and Scrabble are great for helping kids brush up on their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills. Not to mention, they’re also great for bonding time!
2. Cook together and incorporate measuring ingredients into the activity.
This is a great way to make learning about fractions fun and delicious!
3. Go on a nature walk and collect leaves, stones, sticks, etc.
Afterwards, have your child organise them into groups of 2s, 3s, 4s, etc. This is a great way to introduce multiplication concepts in a practical way.
4. Make a homemade treasure hunt with clues that require mathematical problem-solving to unlock the next clue.
This one takes a bit of preparation but it’ll be worth it when you see the smile on your child’s face when they solve the final puzzle!
5. Turn everyday activities into opportunities for learning about time, money, and measurements.
For example, when out grocery shopping, have your child help you calculate the total cost of the items in your trolley/basket. Or when cooking dinner, get them to help you set the timer and estimate how long it will take to cook the meal.
6. Have a “maths day” where everything revolves around numbers and counting!
This could involve playing card games or dice games, baking treats using recipes that require measuring ingredients, going on a scavenger hunt around the neighbourhood or local park (counting how many different things you can find), or even watching educational shows or movies about maths (like “Cyberchase” or “Flatland: The Movie”).
7. Play popular children’s party games like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” but with a mathematical twist!
For example, “Pin the Number on the Ten Frame” or “Pin the Shape on the Geometric Figure”. You could even make your own version of musical chairs but with sums instead of music – e.g., normal musical chairs but whenever the music stops everyone has to shout out a sum using the numbers 1-10 before sitting down (so if there’s 7 people playing then someone would shout out “3+4”, someone else would say “2+5”, someone else would say “1+6”, etc.).
8. Do some simple science experiments.
Choose experiments that focus on measurement concepts like weight/mass (you could use a set of bathroom scales), volume (a measuring jug), length/height (a tape measure or ruler), and temperature (a thermometer).
9. Read stories together that teach mathematical concepts.
Find stories that teach concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, shapes, etc., in a fun and engaging way (“The Doorbell Rang” by Philip Kraske is a great example).
10. And last but not least… have fun!
Learning should be enjoyable so make sure you find ways to make it fun for both you and your child.
Maths doesn’t have to be boring! By incorporating some simple changes into your homeschooling routine—like adding in some board games or cooking together—you can make learning about maths fun for both you and your child. And who knows? With enough practice they might even start to enjoy it!
