The Maths curriculum does not change much of ‘what’ children learn, but it aims to improve ‘how’ children learn maths. This includes more learning through play and problem solving. It also provides more opportunities for children to be creative, take risks and be challenged. Here are some ways you might put those ideas into action.
Maths Scavenger Hunt
Organise a scavenger hunt where children search for items that match specific mathematical criteria, such as finding objects with certain shapes, sizes, properties or numbers.
This activity encourages children to apply their knowledge of geometry and number in a fun and interactive way.
If you have a multigrade class or are in a small school, older or more able children can develop their own or create a hunt challenge for younger peers.
Number Line Hopscotch
Create a hopscotch grid with numbers and have children jump to the correct answer to a maths problem.
This game helps reinforce number sequences and operations while keeping children active and engaged.
Playdough™ Fraction Pizza
Using playdough or paper, have children create their own pizzas and then cut them into slices to learn about fractions. This hands-on activity makes the concept of fractions more relatable and easier to understand. Don’t underestimate activities like this with older children
Opportunities to play with playdough once the infant years have passed become few and far between, so older children relish the novelty and fun of it and will buy into the activity and not realise that they are learning and practicing more difficult concepts.
Pattern Crafts
Provide children with beads, buttons or other craft materials to create patterns. This activity helps children recognise and create repeating patterns, which is an essential skill in early maths learning. Pairing a senior class with a junior class for activities like this, as I have done many times, is highly beneficial for both age groups; both engage in peer maths talk, share the teaching and learning and enjoy a playful learning experience.
Younger children love to show off what they know to an older student while older children revisit skills that they can reconnect with and use to enhance their understanding of more complex concepts.
Maths Relay Race
Take the maths out of the classroom! Sometimes a change of setting and some movement can reset a child’s brain and allow them to grasp a tricky maths concept that they may have been struggling with. Movement is also vital for regulation and focus.
Set up a relay race where children must solve a maths problem before passing the baton to their teammate. This activity combines physical movement with problem-solving and making learning maths an exciting and dynamic experience.
Create Stories and Rhymes
Turn formulae into short songs or rhymes to help children remember them.
“Perimeter goes all around, add the sides and write it down!”
“Volume tells us how much treasure we can hide,
just multiply length, width, and height and you’ll measure inside!”
Create a funny story around a formula, e.g. area of a rectangle.
“A wizard measures his magic carpet by multiplying length and width!”
The use of humour gets attention and ideas and concepts that can be recited in a simple form can be better remembered.
Older or more able children could create their own variations or couplets or other maths related stories and formula poems.
You could even make a display! Popular poems or stories could be recited while doing the relevant exercise to reinforce the learning.
Make It Hands-On (Remember! Hands On, Minds On!)
Use real-life objects as non-standard measures, e.g. counting tiles for area, sticks for perimeter.
Let children cut out paper shapes and rearrange them to explore formulae visually.
I cubic cm of water weighs 1 gram. Children can use this knowledge to help in weighing things without access to the standard apparatus. A litre bottle of water will hold approx. 1kg.
These practical approaches and alternative ways of measuring, fit in really well with the ‘problem solving’ focus of the maths curriculum.
Use Visual Aids and Colour Coding
- Highlight different parts of a formula in different colours.
- Use charts and posters with examples
- Draw formulae into mind maps with arrows and pictures.
Relate to Real Life To Develop Practical Skills
Show how formulae work in everyday life e.g. “How much paint do we need for a wall?” → Area formula.
Measure classroom objects and calculate perimeter/area. They can compare using a ruler with something else like a book, their foot, a hand or forearm.
A simple question like, ‘Will that table fit through the side door? Can you check without using a ruler?‘ is a great way to let children creatively problem solve.
Encourage Movement
Let children act out formulae, e.g. forming a triangle with their bodies and saying “half base times height!”.
Use jumping or stepping activities to measure and calculate distances.
When children learn through movement, they engage their minds as much as their bodies. Physical activity enhances children’s learning by making their minds more open to new ideas.
Build on What They Already Know
Start with simple versions of formulae before moving to more complex ones.
Use real-world examples before introducing symbols, e.g. before A = L × W, say “How many tiles fit in a rectangle?”.
Over to you…
Hopefully there is something there that might offer a new way to approach your maths activities.
Through more playful approaches, I do believe we can help children develop a stronger foundation and confidence in maths while fostering a genuine love for the subject. Playful learning experiences in real world contexts not only enhances understanding but also cultivates essential skills that will benefit children throughout their lives.
More reflections on play centred learning from Gillian:
https://www.instagram.com/the_glitter_and_coffee_teacher
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