Listed below are several ways to help your child
 with math in every day life situations. 

Activity #1: Shopping

Take your child shopping one day this week.  As your child looks around the store, help him or her see the many examples of mathematics in the store.  After the shopping trip, help your child write or dictate a story about the trip to the store.  While writing the story, ask questions like:

     Where did you see mathematics at the store?

     How many things did we buy?

     How much did each thing cost?

     How much did we spend?

     How do we use mathematics when we shop?  

Activity #2: Counting

Have your child count lots of things today.  Easy items to count include fingers, small piles of pennies or buttons, and other small amounts of moveable objects. More difficult items to count include large piles of items and immovable objects.  Pay attention to whether or not your child counts one item at a time, or whether your child has difficulty with this.  Also, note where there are stops or gaps in the counting sequence.  Do not worry if your child cannot count very high just yet.  Help him or her by modeling how to count and by encouraging practice.  

Activity #3: Keeping Track of The Time

Have your child keep track of the time he or she spends on activities throughout the day.  Help him or her learn to read both digital and analog clocks.  Help your child make a chart of how he or she spends the time each day by listing daily activities and the time of day.  Keep the chart posted in a prominent place in the house. To help your child gain a better sense of passing time, ask questions throughout the week like:

     About how long do you sleep each night?

     About how long is your favorite TV program?

     About how long does it take you to get to school in the morning?

     About how long does it take to brush your teeth?

Activity #1: What Makes a Pattern

Have your child identify 10 patterns in the house or in the neighborhood, then have him or her copy the patterns by drawing or tracing them on one sheet of paper. On the back of the paper, help your child explain in writing how they can tell whether or not something is a pattern.

  Activity #2: Numbers Large and Small

Have your child write the following on a sheet of paper and find at least three examples of each:

     I have less than 10 of the following in my house:

     I have between 10 and 100 of the following in my house:

     I have between 100 and 1000 of the following in my house:

     Challenge:   I have more than 1000 of the following in my house:

Activity #3: Measuring My Room

Help your child use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the length and width of his or her room.  Then have him or her measure the major objects and features of the room.  Keep a list of the measurements, and then have your child draw the room and label the drawing with the measurements.  Your child may require assistance lining up the ruler starting at 0, reading the number where the object ends, and knowing what to write if the measurement falls between two whole numbers.   It is helpful for you to show your child how to do these things and to encourage him or her to practice.  We will be practicing these things at school as well.

Activity #1: Interviews with My Family

Have your child interview the adults in your house about the ways they use mathematics in their jobs and in their lives.  For example, most of us use mathematics to keep track of time, to go shopping, to keep track of how fast we drive, and to keep track of bills and expenses.  Also, many people use mathematics in their jobs, such as stockbrokers, graphic artists, engineers, and so on.  After the interviews, have your child write a page describing the ways the adults in your house use mathematics.

Activity #2: Drawing What I See

Have your child use geometric shapes to draw a neighborhood scene or a room in your house.  Help your child label the geometric shapes and parts of the picture:

     Lines, angles, and curves

     Parallel lines and perpendicular lines

     2-dimensional shapes (triangles, circles, rectangles, squares, etc.)

     3-dimensional shapes (prisms, triangular solids, cones, cubes, cylinders, etc.)

Activity #3: Measuring, Classifying, and Displaying Data

Help your child measure a series of objects. He or she can weigh items, measure the lengths of items, find the volume of items, or measure time. Help your child display the data in a graph, table or chart. Make sure that it is labeled and the unit of measurement is indicated (feet, inches, pounds, minutes, etc.).