Ideas to Go

Here are many great activities for you to do with your child while on the go! These easy-to-do ideas are fun ways for you and your kids to learn simple math concepts. Each activity extends the math ideas also presented in the online games.

• At Home

  • Phone Numbers

    Even little kids should know how to use the phone, especially if they ever need to dial 911. Show your kid the numbers and how to make a call. Have him or her learn their own phone number too, just in case.

  • Sport Smarts

    Watch sports on TV? There are numbers everywhere! Help your kid understand the numbers that matter for the games you're watching.

  • TV Time

    How much TV is your kid allowed to watch each day? Help your kid use a TV schedule to choose which programs he or she wants to watch. Post your kid's own weekly TV viewing schedule on the fridge or near the TV.

  • Weather Report

    Look at the weather forecast with your kids --online, on TV, or by looking at the paper. Help them learn which are the high and low temperatures.

  Back to Top

• Bathtime

  • Bath Math

    Bathtub play offers lots of counting and measuring opportunities. Ask your kid, "How many cups of water do you think it will take to fill this container? How many squeezes can we get out of a wet washcloth?" Try it out!

  • Brushing Together

    Dentists recommend that we brush our teeth for 1-2 minutes. How long is that? Try singing the "ABC Song" twice and "Happy Birthday" once as you brush together. Or play a favorite song and brush until it's over.

  • Measure Up

    If you have a bathroom scale and a tape measure, let your kid measure and record his or her weight and height.

  • Temperature Tuning

    Is the bathwater too hot? Too cold? Fill a bottle of hot water and a bottle of cold water at the sink and let your kid fine tune the temperature by pouring the right amount of each in the tub.

  Back to Top

• In a Waiting Room

  • Counting Challenges

    Stuck for something to do? Try counting backwards from one hundred or forwards in twos or fives.

  • Millions of Billions

    Kids like to play with huge numbers. Use basic counting skills but instead of counting "1, 2, 3…" try "One billion, one billion one, one billion two…" or explain that one billion plus two billion is three billion.

  • Mississippi Minute

    Got a minute hand on your watch or a stopwatch on your phone? Take turns to see who can get closest to estimating a minute. Try "One Mississippi…" all the way to sixty.

  • What's the Wait?

    Waiting anywhere can be boring, so try to play counting games. How many people are waiting ahead of you? How many animals can you find in the waiting room magazines? How many minutes have we been waiting?!

  Back to Top

• Mealtime

  • Cucumber Numbers

    The USDA recommends that half our dinner plate be filled with fruits and vegetables and that kids eat 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit every day. How do your family meals measure up? Let your kid help you figure it out.

  • Get Cooking

    Cooking is a great activity for math learning and practice. Let your kid count and measure ingredients, then help set the oven temperature and the timer.

  • Sharing Treats

    Have your kid figure out how to divide snack food into equal portions -- for example, 1 banana for 2 kids, 6 cookies for 3 people, or a bottle of juice into 4 glasses.

  • Table Tips

    Let your kid help you set the table. How many people are eating? How many plates, napkins, forks, spoons, or knives will you need? Can your kid place the napkin and silverware in the same position you do?

  Back to Top

• On a City Walk

  • Address Awareness

    Point out the street address numbers on buildings. Does every building have a number? Do the numbers get higher or lower as you walk? What happens to the numbers when you turn a corner? Point out the odd and even numbers on opposite sides of the street.

  • City Sites

    Look for numbers as you walk along a city street with your kid. You'll find them on street signs, in shop windows, on buildings and billboards. You might want to look especially for your kid's favorite number.

  • Following Fun

    Before you start your walk, draw a simple map for your kid. Talk about some of the places you'll pass. Take the map with you and follow it as you walk. Add some of the things you notice on the walk to the map.

  • Shape Up

    Look for shapes in the city: circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. Look at traffic signs, buildings, and vehicles. Which shape do you see the most? Which is the hardest to find?

  Back to Top

• On a Country Walk

  • Common Colors

    Look for objects of different colors. Point out and name all the green objects you see, then all the objects that are blue, orange, etc. Which colors are the most common? Which are the rarest?

  • Silly Struts

    Make up some silly walk patterns with your kid, for example: big step, big step, hop; big step, big step, hop. Or zig (to the left), then zag (to the right). Chant the words as you do the actions.

  • Stick Tricks

    How many things can your kid do with a stick? Toss it, use it to draw in the sand, balance it on his or her head, use it as a drum stick… Brainstorm with your kid, but let your kid take the lead. Keep count of the ideas.

  • The Autumn Collection

    In the autumn, collect and sort fallen leaves into groups. How many different kinds of leaves can you find? In what ways are the leaves within a group different (size, color, etc.)?

  Back to Top

• On the Bus, Subway, or Train

  • People on the Bus

    Ask: How many people are on the bus? How many empty seats are there? Guess how many people will get on at the next stop and how many will get off.

  • Subway Study

    Study the subway map with your kid. How many stops until you reach your stop? Do you need to transfer to another line? Point out and talk about other places you have traveled to on the subway and let your kid trace the route.

  • The Right Route

    Show your kid how to look for the correct route number on the bus. Make a guess -- how many buses, or how many (red) cars do you think will go by before your bus comes?

  • Transit Transaction

    How do you pay for the bus or subway? Do you swipe a card or buy a ticket at a machine or abooth? Let your kid help with the transaction. Talk about process and price.

  Back to Top

• Shopping

  • Cart Count

    Got a young kid? Have your kid guess how many items are in the cart. At the check out, count them out onto the conveyor belt together.

  • Cost Counter

    Got an older kid? Have your kid guess the total cost of the items in the cart. At the check out, see who came closest to the correct total.

  • List It!

    Here's a simple data collection activity, and a useful one: write a shopping list together and number it. Have your kid mark off items that you find.

  • Price Checker

    Look for written numbers: on grocery items, on the aisles, and also look at prices. The grocery area is great for having your kid look for the best prices per pound of fruit and veggies.

  Back to Top

• The Car

  • Car Color Contest

    Counting and sorting are good math skills. Have everyone pick a car color and then see who can find the most of each color on a single trip.

  • Drive and Find

    There are numbers for your kids to look for everywhere you drive: speed limits, road signs, and the car's mileage gauge and speedometer. Have your kid look for numbers of increasing size. "You found a 10, now can you find a 20?"

  • Gas Games

    Gas stations may be frustrating for grownups, but they offer tons of fun for a young mathematician. What's the price of gas today? How many gallons do you need? How many dollars does that cost?

  • Plate Play

    Kids need to know numbers are also useful tools. Play license plate games on long journeys. Find (and count) all the states you see or plate numbers that begin with, say, the number 2.

  Back to Top

• The Library

  • Before the Door

    Don't just ask your kid to walk through a door -- make it a number game. For example, "Go through the door that has four windows…"

  • Book Guesstimate

    How many books are there? Count ten books in one section of shelving, then count in tens together to guesstimate how many books there are in a whole section -- or the whole library!

  • Library Match-up

    The library is full of numbers. Help your kid learn how the numbers on the sides of books match the catalog numbers on the shelves.

  • Page Pointing

    Books are full of important numbers, especially page numbers. Point them out when you're reading together.

  Back to Top

• The Playground

  • Sandbox Steps

    How many steps is it around the sandbox? How many steps from the swings to the slide? Have your kid estimate, then try it out. Try it yourself as well. Did it take you the same number, more, or fewer steps? Ask your kid, "Why is that?"

  • Shape Spotter

    Look for shapes. How many triangles can you see? Not many at first, but look at fences, corners, and edges, and you may find a lot more. If your phone has a camera, let your kid take photos of as many triangles as he or she can find.

  • Sharing Solutions

    Kids can use math reasoning to figure out fair ways to share playground toys and equipment. Encourage your kid to come up with a variety of solutions. Can all the kids play together with the toys or should they split them evenly or take turns? How long should a turn on the swings last?

  • Toy Take Away

    Count the toys in the sand box. Announce you'll take take one away. How many will there be? Have your kid count to find out if he or she doesn't know.

  Back to Top

• The Zoo

  • Feeding Time

    Give your kid a reason to learn how to tell time. Look for events like feeding times and have your kid work out how long until each begins.

  • Map It Out

    Use the zoo map to write down how many animals you see; this is how all scientists start their careers!

  • Pacing Spaces

    There's often lots of walking to do at the zoo. Count how many paces are between each exhibit.

  • Silly Sizes

    Imagine comparing sizes: how many zebras tall would a giraffe be? How many tigers long is an elephant?

  Back to Top

• Your Backyard

  • Go Big

    Look for tiny and huge things in your yard. Have your kid first search for objects that are about the same size as his or her fingernail, then for objects that are taller and wider than his or her body.

  • Street Sketch

    Math and maps go well togegther. Can your kid draw a map of the backyard or the street where you live?

  • Thermometer Monitor

    Got an outdoor thermometer? Keep a chart of the temperatures on a calendar -- you'll give your kid practice at counting days as well as telling temperature.

  • Treasure Hunt

    Construct an obstacle course with your kid. Decide which things you need to go under, over, between, and around. Write clues for a treasure hunt, leading kids from clue to clue and finally to the treasure: Walk 5 big steps towards the porch. Look on the 3rd step.

  Back to Top