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 Grades 3–5 Math Activities
Numbers Down the Street
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Math is all around us. Encourage your child to notice the ways
numbers are used in the world — street numbers, apartment numbers,
phone numbers, bus numbers, clocks, rulers, scales, money. Wonder
with your child about the ways numbers work, raise questions, make
predictions, and seek answers.
Here's what you need:
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| A neighborhood street |
Here's what you do:
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When walking down the street, ask your child to guess what will
be the number on the next building you pass. Look for patterns and
systems in the ways buildings are numbered. Help your child think
about why they are numbered in these ways — odd and even numbers
on different sides of the street, skipped numbers, and sudden jumps
to a new hundred. Make predictions about where a large number will
show up on a building. Check by looking on a map or going there.
Another thing to do while walking down the street is to predict
and check distances.
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| How many big steps will it take to reach the corner? |
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| How many little steps? |
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| Check to see. |
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| Use the results to make a more informed prediction of the
next distance. |
As you collect this information, encourage your child to think
about the following:
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| What conclusions can be drawn about the information? |
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| How do big steps and little steps relate in size to each
other? |
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| How might they relate to standard units of measure like
feet and yards? |
Keep going...
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Shopping with your child is a great opportunity to include math
in your everyday routine. Ask your child to help you predict what
the total grocery bill will be. He can estimate the cost of each item
you choose and keep a running total in his head. For example, something
that costs $2.95 can be rounded to $3.00. Something that costs $1.29
can be rounded to $1.00. Have your child compare the estimate to the
actual bill. How close was the estimate? Encourage him to try to make
his estimate closer and closer to the actual bill each time you shop
together.
By involving your child in math through everyday activities like
walking down the street and shopping, he will learn how math is relevant,
helpful, and meaningful. And, of course, your child will also build
and refine important math skills.
Grades 3–5 Math Activities
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