Math Does Not Jump On Beds
Math fun for kids does not mean parents need to be math experts. Math happens in every room in the house, even children’s bedrooms. Did you know that you and your child are doing math naturally even when getting dressed?
Math starts the day for parents and kids with the time on the clock but this isn’t always fun, so let’s skip that bit of the day. How many beds are in the room and how many kids? Does 1 child have 1 bed? This is called one-to-one matching and it’s an important concept for numbers. Kids need to learn that 1 number goes with 1 thing. If there were 2 kids how many beds would there be? How about for 10 kids? That question can get sillier. How many for 100 kids? Or, maybe 1000?
Does the bed cover have a design on it? There could be some shapes like circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. One way to look for shapes is to play “I Spy.” This is a game that can be played over and over and sometimes helps keep a child still for getting dressed. Eyes can move while bodies stay in one place.
Clothes often have shapes and patterns. As the pajamas get changed for day clothes, look for patterns. Brains love patterns because patterns are a way of condensing information and making it more predictable. Sometimes clothes have buttons. You and your child can count the buttons on a shirt or maybe count toes before they go in a sock.
Clothes come in different sizes. Parents often comment that something is too big and needs to get rolled up or that it’s getting too small and barely fits. When we talk about sizes, we’re using math. If the morning isn’t too rushed, you can try and put on a child t-shirt or sock. Sizes can be pretty funny.
At the end of the day, tossing the dirty clothes in the laundry basket is a way of making groups. We don’t think of it, but making groups is another math concept.
That’s only a little bit of the math fun for kids that can happen in the bedroom. Often, bedrooms have toys and books too but we’ll save that for another day. Hmm… do you hear anybody singing 5 Little Monkeys or 10 In The Bed?