If your children or students have problems with mathematics, a good way to ensure that this does not happen and that they finally understand them, is to relate the numbers to everyday situations in life. Let them know how mathematics can be applied in those common situations and encourage children to think mathematically in life, talking, for example, about the different ways that mathematics can be used at home, in a supermarket or in the grocery store. playground.
In this article, consequently, we want to provide a series of resources aimed at relating numbers to day-to-day situations , so that all those children who have problems understanding mathematics can begin to use new methods that perhaps they will help you at last to understand them.
Activities to work the whole numbers
- Counting is fun
Use objects around the house, such as coins, toys, spoons and forks, etc., to practice counting . If the quantity is large, have your child talk about the strategies they use to count (colors, sizes…).
- How to tell a math story
Have your children practice using math language like “together”, “left”, “share”, “group”, etc., by forming stories that include math elements. For example: “I have 5 apples and I bought 7 oranges this morning. Therefore, I have 12 fruits in total ”. When the child in question has mastered this type of language, they will be able to move on without problems to subtraction, multiplication and division of stories.
- Coin castles
Take some coins that you have waiting at home and have your children make the smallest or largest amount possible with 5 of them. Alternatively, ask them to find the different ways to make 1 euro, for example, with the coins given.
- Spying numbers
Take advantage of any family trip or outing to encourage your kids to keep up with the numbers in a surrounding area by playing this simple activity. For example, the father says: “I spy the number 367. Can you find it?” Have your children point to the number and say it out loud: “Three hundred and sixty-seven. The number is there on that car! ” You can invite spying on the numbers on buses, on road signs, on billboards and in many other possible places.
- We’re going shopping
Get your kids to help you buy groceries the next time you go to the supermarket. Pass them your shopping list and ask them to calculate the invoice before paying at the register. You can bet on watching a movie or eating sweets on the weekend for which a figure is more in line with the final result. Playing this kind of things as a family encourages the little ones a lot and will allow them to practice the calculation in a fun way and without even realizing it.
- My little shop
You can have your children create a store to sell their toys to family members or friends. You can help them determine the cost of the items. Each friend or family member will receive 20 euros to spend on this fictitious but very fun purchase. The store can also be made of groceries, or any other theme, the only thing that matters is that the children feel motivated and begin to handle figures in the exchange of the products sold.
- Geometry everywhere
Ask your children to point to objects in the house that have angles greater than 90º, less than 90º, or exactly 90º. In this way, they will begin to familiarize themselves easily with the understanding of geometry and angles in particular.
- Parallel, parallel, where are you?
Show your children a picture (of buildings, doors, etc.) that has shapes, perpendicular and parallel lines. Have them count and identify them.
- Shapes and objects of our home
To help your children recognize shapes (for example: a rectangle, a square, a triangle, or a circle), invite them to identify objects in the house that have that particular shape that they just learned in school. Encourage them to outline the shape with their fingers and to speak and describe it in words. Possible questions to ask later: “What shape is it? Are there other shapes on this object? Can you point them out? ”
Activities to work measurement, proportion and percentages
- Cook good
Parents can ask their children to help them in the kitchen when preparing a meal or cookies. Involve your children in measuring the amount of ingredients needed, using measuring cups and scales . Measuring the required ingredients will help your little ones strengthen their estimation skills in math. Talk to your children about appropriate measurements, abbreviations for quantity (eg g, kg, l and ml) and mass (eg in terms of heavy, light, plus and minus…).
- Flour fun
Have your children take out a spoon and fill it with flour. Next, weigh the flour. It should weigh about 25 grams. Then look for a recipe for baking. The required flour dough should be in multiples of 25, that is, 100 g, 125 g, 150 g, etc. Ask them to take out the approximate flour dough needed for the recipe. If the recipe calls for 150 g. of flour, you should tell them to get 6 tablespoons of flour. Then have them weigh the flour to check.
- The hours and the days
Get into the habit of doing fun activities with your children around the daily activities you do together or possible family events. Take advantage of such occasions to talk about time in terms of seconds, minutes or hours , as well as days, months and years. For example: “Today is 2 weeks until your birthday, could you tell me how many days are left?”
- Last minute guests
Find a recipe. Recipes generally indicate the number of servings based on a specific series of diners. So if, for example, the recipe you have looked for is made for 6 people, the child should be able to change the portions to a greater number of people, such as 12, calculating the necessary amount of each ingredient based on the additional diners.
