Math Everywhere Activities

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Does anyone have a nice list of "no effort" activities that parents can employ to promote numeracy? I am primarily interested in K-8 activities.

Exposition

Often parents ask me about what 'math activities' they can be doing at home. I could supply many in-depth math lessons that will never be taught but I would much rather give them a short list of things that they can incorporate in to activities that they are already doing.

Every time you go out to eat at a restaurant: Your child should be calculating tip. 10%, 20% are easy computations 18.5% requires some more thinking...

When you are driving in the car: Your child could be looking for equations in license plates. Something like this. Or factoring! License plates are a good way to cultivate our factoring skills. Please keep your eyes on the road when checking your child's computations...

When you go to the grocery store you can ask your child to estimate the number items and the cost. This is somehow a skill that every adult has managed to develop but children rarely know the cost. After showing the child the receipt a few times and asking him/her to figure out how much the family spends on ice cream... We should see an improvement in their ability to crunch numbers and estimate.

When you play monopoly (or any game that requires some math), your child should be doing at least some of the banking (or whatever the part of the game requires the math...).

I am looking for more activities that shouldn't really feel like a 'math activity' and should feel more like daily life: your kid is talking way too much on a long road trip? Why aren't they factoring large numbers in their head?

The activities I am looking for

Should promote numeracy

Should require no manipulatives or planning (This is what I mean by "no effort")

Should be an activity that a middle class family may do once a month: Go out to eat, Drive in a car, collect groceries, etc. (This is also what I mean by "no effort")

Have a type of built in differentiation: we should be able to format the activity for a 3rd grader (What is 10% of the cost of the meal?) or an 8th grader (How much can we spend on desert and still have the meal be under $100 after applying an 18% tip?).

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

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up vote
3
down vote

favorite

Question

Does anyone have a nice list of "no effort" activities that parents can employ to promote numeracy? I am primarily interested in K-8 activities.

Exposition

Every time you go out to eat at a restaurant: Your child should be calculating tip. 10%, 20% are easy computations 18.5% requires some more thinking...

When you are driving in the car: Your child could be looking for equations in license plates. Something like this. Or factoring! License plates are a good way to cultivate our factoring skills. Please keep your eyes on the road when checking your child's computations...

When you go to the grocery store you can ask your child to estimate the number items and the cost. This is somehow a skill that every adult has managed to develop but children rarely know the cost. After showing the child the receipt a few times and asking him/her to figure out how much the family spends on ice cream... We should see an improvement in their ability to crunch numbers and estimate.

When you play monopoly (or any game that requires some math), your child should be doing at least some of the banking (or whatever the part of the game requires the math...).

The activities I am looking for

Should promote numeracy

Should require no manipulatives or planning (This is what I mean by "no effort")

Should be an activity that a middle class family may do once a month: Go out to eat, Drive in a car, collect groceries, etc. (This is also what I mean by "no effort")

Have a type of built in differentiation: we should be able to format the activity for a 3rd grader (What is 10% of the cost of the meal?) or an 8th grader (How much can we spend on desert and still have the meal be under $100 after applying an 18% tip?).

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

Question

Does anyone have a nice list of "no effort" activities that parents can employ to promote numeracy? I am primarily interested in K-8 activities.

Exposition

Every time you go out to eat at a restaurant: Your child should be calculating tip. 10%, 20% are easy computations 18.5% requires some more thinking...

When you are driving in the car: Your child could be looking for equations in license plates. Something like this. Or factoring! License plates are a good way to cultivate our factoring skills. Please keep your eyes on the road when checking your child's computations...

When you go to the grocery store you can ask your child to estimate the number items and the cost. This is somehow a skill that every adult has managed to develop but children rarely know the cost. After showing the child the receipt a few times and asking him/her to figure out how much the family spends on ice cream... We should see an improvement in their ability to crunch numbers and estimate.

When you play monopoly (or any game that requires some math), your child should be doing at least some of the banking (or whatever the part of the game requires the math...).

The activities I am looking for

Should promote numeracy

Should require no manipulatives or planning (This is what I mean by "no effort")

Should be an activity that a middle class family may do once a month: Go out to eat, Drive in a car, collect groceries, etc. (This is also what I mean by "no effort")

Have a type of built in differentiation: we should be able to format the activity for a 3rd grader (What is 10% of the cost of the meal?) or an 8th grader (How much can we spend on desert and still have the meal be under $100 after applying an 18% tip?).

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

Question

Does anyone have a nice list of "no effort" activities that parents can employ to promote numeracy? I am primarily interested in K-8 activities.

Exposition

Every time you go out to eat at a restaurant: Your child should be calculating tip. 10%, 20% are easy computations 18.5% requires some more thinking...

When you are driving in the car: Your child could be looking for equations in license plates. Something like this. Or factoring! License plates are a good way to cultivate our factoring skills. Please keep your eyes on the road when checking your child's computations...

When you go to the grocery store you can ask your child to estimate the number items and the cost. This is somehow a skill that every adult has managed to develop but children rarely know the cost. After showing the child the receipt a few times and asking him/her to figure out how much the family spends on ice cream... We should see an improvement in their ability to crunch numbers and estimate.

When you play monopoly (or any game that requires some math), your child should be doing at least some of the banking (or whatever the part of the game requires the math...).

The activities I am looking for

Should promote numeracy

Should require no manipulatives or planning (This is what I mean by "no effort")

Should be an activity that a middle class family may do once a month: Go out to eat, Drive in a car, collect groceries, etc. (This is also what I mean by "no effort")

Have a type of built in differentiation: we should be able to format the activity for a 3rd grader (What is 10% of the cost of the meal?) or an 8th grader (How much can we spend on desert and still have the meal be under $100 after applying an 18% tip?).

mathematics-in-daily-life

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

asked 2 hours ago

Mason

1413

add a commentÂ |Â

1 Answer
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up vote
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I would recommend activities that can be done at least once a day (instead of once a month).

When setting the dinner table (especially when guests are present), request the child to help get the dishes and cutlery, asking "How many dishes will we need? How many forks will we need?" If each guest is to be given, say, three pieces of dessert, then how many pieces would need to be brought out?

When performing a time-dependent activity (for example, when food in a pot on a stove will be ready to eat in, say, 15 minutes), ask the child to read the current time on a clock, then ask the child to predict the time the activity will finish. (Digital clocks for the younger children; analog clocks for the older ones.)

When an event is to happen in a few days, ask the child to read the current date on a calendar, then ask questions such as "How many days is that event from today? If that event was postponed for a week, what date would the new schedule be?"

If a child is reading a book, then ask what page he or she is currently reading, then how many pages there are in total in the book, then how many more pages are to be read to finish the book.

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

1

Awesome! Thanks. More answers like this one please! No need to limit ourselves to Daily/Weekly/Monthly. The criteria I am looking for may be rephrased as something like this: The family finds themselves here often enough that we can use this to get into the habit of mathematical thinking.
â€“Â Mason
1 hour ago

add a commentÂ |Â

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1 Answer
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up vote
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down vote

I would recommend activities that can be done at least once a day (instead of once a month).

When setting the dinner table (especially when guests are present), request the child to help get the dishes and cutlery, asking "How many dishes will we need? How many forks will we need?" If each guest is to be given, say, three pieces of dessert, then how many pieces would need to be brought out?

When performing a time-dependent activity (for example, when food in a pot on a stove will be ready to eat in, say, 15 minutes), ask the child to read the current time on a clock, then ask the child to predict the time the activity will finish. (Digital clocks for the younger children; analog clocks for the older ones.)

When an event is to happen in a few days, ask the child to read the current date on a calendar, then ask questions such as "How many days is that event from today? If that event was postponed for a week, what date would the new schedule be?"

If a child is reading a book, then ask what page he or she is currently reading, then how many pages there are in total in the book, then how many more pages are to be read to finish the book.

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

1

Awesome! Thanks. More answers like this one please! No need to limit ourselves to Daily/Weekly/Monthly. The criteria I am looking for may be rephrased as something like this: The family finds themselves here often enough that we can use this to get into the habit of mathematical thinking.
â€“Â Mason
1 hour ago

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
3
down vote

I would recommend activities that can be done at least once a day (instead of once a month).

When setting the dinner table (especially when guests are present), request the child to help get the dishes and cutlery, asking "How many dishes will we need? How many forks will we need?" If each guest is to be given, say, three pieces of dessert, then how many pieces would need to be brought out?

When performing a time-dependent activity (for example, when food in a pot on a stove will be ready to eat in, say, 15 minutes), ask the child to read the current time on a clock, then ask the child to predict the time the activity will finish. (Digital clocks for the younger children; analog clocks for the older ones.)

When an event is to happen in a few days, ask the child to read the current date on a calendar, then ask questions such as "How many days is that event from today? If that event was postponed for a week, what date would the new schedule be?"

If a child is reading a book, then ask what page he or she is currently reading, then how many pages there are in total in the book, then how many more pages are to be read to finish the book.

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

1

Awesome! Thanks. More answers like this one please! No need to limit ourselves to Daily/Weekly/Monthly. The criteria I am looking for may be rephrased as something like this: The family finds themselves here often enough that we can use this to get into the habit of mathematical thinking.
â€“Â Mason
1 hour ago

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
3
down vote

I would recommend activities that can be done at least once a day (instead of once a month).

When setting the dinner table (especially when guests are present), request the child to help get the dishes and cutlery, asking "How many dishes will we need? How many forks will we need?" If each guest is to be given, say, three pieces of dessert, then how many pieces would need to be brought out?

When performing a time-dependent activity (for example, when food in a pot on a stove will be ready to eat in, say, 15 minutes), ask the child to read the current time on a clock, then ask the child to predict the time the activity will finish. (Digital clocks for the younger children; analog clocks for the older ones.)

When an event is to happen in a few days, ask the child to read the current date on a calendar, then ask questions such as "How many days is that event from today? If that event was postponed for a week, what date would the new schedule be?"

If a child is reading a book, then ask what page he or she is currently reading, then how many pages there are in total in the book, then how many more pages are to be read to finish the book.

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

I would recommend activities that can be done at least once a day (instead of once a month).

When setting the dinner table (especially when guests are present), request the child to help get the dishes and cutlery, asking "How many dishes will we need? How many forks will we need?" If each guest is to be given, say, three pieces of dessert, then how many pieces would need to be brought out?

When performing a time-dependent activity (for example, when food in a pot on a stove will be ready to eat in, say, 15 minutes), ask the child to read the current time on a clock, then ask the child to predict the time the activity will finish. (Digital clocks for the younger children; analog clocks for the older ones.)

When an event is to happen in a few days, ask the child to read the current date on a calendar, then ask questions such as "How many days is that event from today? If that event was postponed for a week, what date would the new schedule be?"

If a child is reading a book, then ask what page he or she is currently reading, then how many pages there are in total in the book, then how many more pages are to be read to finish the book.

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

answered 1 hour ago

Joel Reyes Noche

4,84511549

1

Awesome! Thanks. More answers like this one please! No need to limit ourselves to Daily/Weekly/Monthly. The criteria I am looking for may be rephrased as something like this: The family finds themselves here often enough that we can use this to get into the habit of mathematical thinking.
â€“Â Mason
1 hour ago

add a commentÂ |Â

1

Awesome! Thanks. More answers like this one please! No need to limit ourselves to Daily/Weekly/Monthly. The criteria I am looking for may be rephrased as something like this: The family finds themselves here often enough that we can use this to get into the habit of mathematical thinking.
â€“Â Mason
1 hour ago

Awesome! Thanks. More answers like this one please! No need to limit ourselves to Daily/Weekly/Monthly. The criteria I am looking for may be rephrased as something like this: The family finds themselves here often enough that we can use this to get into the habit of mathematical thinking.
â€“Â Mason
1 hour ago

add a commentÂ |Â

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