Uncommonly Creative Math for Girls
Tic tac toe math? Oh yeah, it’s a thing. And this particular thing is a tried-and-true way to get your “non-math kid” to keep coming back for more. More games. More connection. More (sneaky) math learning! Games are one of the best ways to help kids learn–and remember what they’ve learned. They’re naturally motivating, give lots of repetition (which is the best way to get better at a skill), and
What I love most about these Halloween math activities is 1) that they DON’T feel “mathy” and 2) they give your child even MORE ways to enjoy Halloween! All you need is a pumpkin–or, even better, two pumpkins of different sizes. Some of the activities use uncarved pumpkins, while others you can do after they’re carved. I got a big pumpkin and a tiny one, and just for fun, I
When your kid needs addition help but won’t admit it, play this super-fun Marilyn Burns math game for some sneaky, playful practice! Kids think of math as a checklist: addition and subtraction in first grade, big numbers in second grade, multiplication in third grade, and so on. Once they’ve checked that box, they’re DONE. Unfortunately, we grownups know from experience that if you don’t use it you lose it. Many
Learning to make tens is, hands down, the most important addition skill your child will learn in the early grades. Here’s the deal: your girl has one hundred and twenty-one addition facts to memorize—a gargantuan task to a second grader (who will then have to move on to 121 subtraction facts, then 144 multiplication facts…!! Ah, but what if learning math facts didn’t have to be an endless to-do list
Math circles are vibrant, playful math groups that help girls fall in love with math through patterns and discovery, fun projects, hands-on explorations, and games. We believe girls connect with math the most when they are having fun and experiencing math in real-life contexts. Previous math circle girls have explored math with actual kittens (I’m a kitten foster mom), or by creating and selling chocolates from their own imaginary chocolate shop.
She’s just five minutes into playing the Numbaroll place value game, and she feels like she’s just won the lottery. She turns over her last card, throws her hands dramatically in the air and yells: “Three MILLION, four hundred fifty-six THOUSAND, two hundred twenty-nine! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!” “Hey mom! I just won THREE MILLION points!”Reading and writing big numbers is one of those things adults think is easy, but is tricky
Teaching times tables to your kid can feel utterly overwhelming. I just got this message from a parent today. Sound familiar? Yeah. It sucks…and your child is just as frustrated as you are. I hate to break it to you, but she’s got 144 of the little buggers to memorize. A HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR. How does a parent even begin? Flash cards? Pop quizzes at the dinner table? If
Your girls are going to love this math bingo game sooooo much! I was amazed by how popular this game was with kids, right out of the gate. Girls were literally jumping out of their seats with excitement as they called out complicated math equations. To be clear, these were the same girls who’d had a rather cringing relationship with math just a few months before. One very polite little
Clumsy Thief is a cartoony, wildly addictive addition game for kids ages 7-11. I’ll be straight up with you: Clumsy Thief can get loud. You may also have to deal with weeks of kids begging, “PLEASE can we play Clumsy Thief? Pleeeeeaaaase??” Which, you know, there are worse things than your kid begging to play a math game. But I can pretty much guarantee you that your kid will come
Here’s a real-life subtracting money game that kids play with actual cash! Which means, of course, that even though there’s a ton of math learning going on, this game doesn’t feel math-y at all. Kids love playing because they get to dig their fingers into actual money (mwa-ha-ha!) and get paid by their opponent. What’s not to like? Meanwhile, you’ll be smugly watching your child get better at counting and subtracting
Caroline Diarte Edwards
Stacey Low
Janelle Thompson
Ephi Lu
Heather Carvill
Kimberley Cashin
Marjel Sheuer
Stephanie Tuxen Bisgaard
