Discover more fun games, and activities for you and your kids at PBSParents.org.
Home Activities
There's nothing like a math problem – or worse, a fraction – to get even the bravest parent's heart pumping. Maybe you feel comfortable helping your child with addition and subtraction, maybe you don't. But here's the secret: you are good at math and you practice it dozens of times a day, even if you don't realize it. Going to the store, cooking, driving and even filling the bathtub all involve math skills.
There's no one more qualified than you to help your child learn the skills he or she needs to be successful in math and beyond. With the help of these simple at-home activities, you can make math fun (really) in every day life. By the time fractions come around, you'll know you're already a pro.
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Cat in the Hat: A House Just Right for Me!
Skills:
- Measurement,
- Spatial Sense
Practice measurement skills by building a house for a favorite toy or character like the Cat in the Hat.
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Cat in the Hat: Shape Hunt Adventure
Skills:
- Shapes
Find shapes around your house or neighborhood.
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Counting Around the House
Skills:
- Counting
The purpose of this activity is to help your child explore numbers and counting, an important step toward learning how to add and subtract.
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Curious George: Hands Down!
Skills:
- Counting
Count with George using your hands!
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Curious George: How Many Colors?
Skills:
- Counting
Count different colored objects!
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Dinosaur Train: Dino-mite Patterns
Skills:
- Letters,
- Patterns
Make patterns with letters!
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Dinosaur Train: Shape Scavenger Hunt
Skills:
- Shapes,
- Spatial Sense
Hunt for hidden shapes and learn what makes each shape unique.
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Family Feet
Skills:
- Data Analysis,
- Measurement
Help your child compare different items and put them in order, estimate (guess) their sizes, and then measure to find out.
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FETCH!: Birthday Calculator Math
Skills:
- Addition,
- Numbers
Use a calculator to solve a repeat addition problem and then solve the same problem with multiplication.
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FETCH!: Keeping Track of My Day
Skills:
- Measurement
Creating a daily schedule helps kids organize events in a sequence and associate events with a time of day.
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Fill It Up!
Skills:
- Measurement,
- Spatial Sense
Help your child compare different containers and how much liquid they hold.
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Fizzy's Lunch Lab: Lost in Greasy World!
Skills:
- Spatial Sense
Use spatial skills to put together a map that has been broken up into pieces.
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Fizzy's Lunch Lab: Measuring with Mixie-Bot
Skills:
- Measurement
Measure with a favorite character to understand the value of standardized units of measure, such as inches and feet.
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Home Collections
Skills:
- Patterns,
- Shapes
Collect small items from around the house and sort them in different ways.
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Number Cards
Skills:
- Addition,
- Numbers
Create a set of number cards from a cereal box with numerals and corresponding dots for a variety of games like "Count and Seek," "Count and Move," and "Which is More?"
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Play Dough Shapes
Skills:
- Measurement,
- Shapes
Make your own play dough and help your child identify shapes and make patterns.
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Sid the Science Kid: Let's Measure!
Skills:
- Measurement
Experiment with different sizes of non-standard units such as paperclips and pencils.
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Sid the Science Kid: Searching for Symmetry
Skills:
- Shapes,
- Spatial Sense
Use folding paper cutouts and mirrors to investigate lines of symmetry.
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Sorting At Home
Skills:
- Data Analysis,
- Patterns
Invite your child to help with the sorting you do every day during household chores.
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Super Why: Cupcake Math
Skills:
- Measurement,
- Numbers,
- Patterns
Cooking with kids is a great way to teach kids about measurement and help them learn the language of math.
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Super Why: Number Memory
Skills:
- Numbers,
- Words
Play a memory game with numbers.
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The Electric Company: Pin the Word on the Target
Skills:
- Spatial Sense,
- Words
Practice using position words to direct someone to an object's location.
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The Electric Company: The Power of Zero
Skills:
- Counting,
- Numbers,
- Words
Kids learn about place value while playing a fun card game.
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Treasure Map
Skills:
- Shapes,
- Spatial Sense
Help your child develop his/her understanding of direction.
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Up, Down, All Around: Location Words
Skills:
- Spatial Sense,
- Words
Play games and sing songs that help your child understand and use location words.
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What's in the Bag?
Skills:
- Shapes,
- Words
Play a game where you and your child describe and name different shaped objects.
