Make Math A Moving Act

*Sponsored by K12*

Math seems to be the subject that gets the most complaints. I hear parents all the time say how they would love to homeschool but couldn’t because of math. Many homeschoolers talk about how they love homeschooling, well except for math. Math doesn’t have to be difficult. There are multitudes of resources to help you homeschool math. There are math curriculum ideas, helpful math tips, and math lesson ideas that can help you and your children overcome math anxiety but hands-on activities always help us the most in my house.

Get Moving

One of the best ways I have found to address the math hurdles in my house is to make math a moving activity. Get the children’s mind working as well as their body with physical math activities. There are plenty of ideas out there for many ages and math topics, but these are our favorites.

Numberline  

Cheap painters tape or sidewalk chalk can work wonders for math. Find a big enough area inside or out and make your number line. Have the younger children walk the line, early elementary children can practice addition/subtraction by hopping forward or backward along the line, and older students can plot fractions/decimals.

Greater Than/ Less Than

Working on number comparisons are something that continues throughout the math years. A great way to get the kids up and moving is to compare numbers on a larger scale. Paper or dry erase boards can be used to write the numbers. Sticks, rulers, or even the kid’s bodies can be used to make the symbols needed! This is adaptable for many concepts and can also be used for middle and high school grades to compare algebraic equations!

100 Chart

Need help practicing skip counting, addition, subtraction? A 100 chart can help, but on paper, it can be a little boring. Grab a cheap plastic table cloth or shower curtain, a ruler, and permanent marker, and in a few minutes, you can have a lifesize 100 chart!

Full Body Geometry

I’ll admit it. Geometry just wasn’t my idea of fun in school. Maybe if I had Simon Says Geometry, I would have enjoyed it more! Help your children remember different geometry concepts by using their body and a game.

A Math Take On Twister

You don’t need to look hard for physical math activities. Put a new twist on an old game. Use post-it notes to take twister up a notch. Young learners can use it for number recognition. Need to customize it for older children? Write math problems and call out answers for them to match to, use even or odd, or try equivalent fractions!

Remember these activities are a starting point. Brainstorm ways you can modify them to meet the needs of your homeschoolers!

Do you have a fun physical math idea? Let me know in the comments!

If you still need more math help, give an online school like K12 a try!

K12 is a fully accredited online school that can offer various levels of flexibility, individualized learning, and teacher support for your homeschooler.

Tags: Articles from 2019, Elementary Math, games, high school math, Intermediate Math, math, physical education