Math is one of those subjects in school that kids either love or hate; they get it or they don’t. One way to build the bridge towards the love for math is to start young. You can do that by creating fun and interesting crafts using math. Math crafts—especially ones that create games—help kids conceptualize math. Conceptualization is what occurs naturally in the brain when kids do well with math. By helping your child develop the ability to see how math works, you’re helping to develop the necessary skills for mathematical reasoning. Here are three awesome math crafts that you can do at home to help your kids foster a love for the subject of math.

Toilet Roll Math Facts

This is a great math craft that you can take with you in the car or when you need your kids to stay occupied. You’ll need:

•      Empty toilet paper roll
•      Colored dot stickers
•      A thin Sharpie marker

To create the game:

1.     Write numbers on the toilet paper roll.
2.     Write math problems—addition, subtraction, or multiplication—on the colored dot stickers

To play the game, simply cover the numbers on the toilet paper rolls with the colored dot math problem that will produce the number you are covering

Toilet Roll Math Craft photo courtesy of Donnakaella/Flickr

 

Math fishing photo from donnakaella/Flickr

Magnetic Math Fishing

The math game is another great way to have kids craft their own game. To get started, you’ll need:

•      Construction paper
•      Small dowel rods from any crafts store
•      String
•      Tape
•      Small magnets with a loop on the top so you can tie a string to them
•      Paper clips

To begin creating the game:

1.     Kids cut out fish and decorate them with math problems. They can be addition, multiplication, subtraction, division, etc. Create the fish based on your child’s need.
2.     Tie string to the dowel rod and wrap some tape around the string to ensure it stays fastened.
3.     Tie the magnet to the loose end of the string.
4.     Attach a paperclip the fish.

To play the game, lay the fish face down, so the problems are not showing. Kids get to “fish” for problems using the magnet end of the fishing rod to attract the paperclips on the fish. When they reel up a fish, they have to correctly solve the problem. If they get the problem correct, they get to keep the fish, if not, they have to throw it back.

Pi Scape

This is a fun activity for kids who are a little further along in their math education. It’s a great way to celebrate pi day.

To start this math craft, you will need:

•      A printout of pie
•      Graph paper
•      Colored markers

The activity is really simple. Start with the first number in pi, 3, and color up 3 blocks with one color. Choose a new color and move to the next number in pi, 1. Color one block in a new color. Move to the next number, 4, and color up 4 blocks. Eventually, you will have what looks like a skyline of buildings—a pi scape!

 

Final Thought

Math is not only an important part of school; it’s a crucial life skill. By taking the time to make it fun and interesting for your kids, you’re helping to set them up for success. Regardless of their math perception, educators schools and organizations have much to offer and assist students in succeeding in any subject. For instance, the math tutors of Cambridge are proactive in all that’s involved with helping students comprehend the most challenging of subjects.

What Math Crafts have you made to help your child get excited about math?