First Grade

Math Activities

• Add It Up and Shop: When you are in the store together, ask your child to add together different things, for example: how many fruits you bought, how many boxes of something, or how many different types of fruit and vegetables.
• Greater or Less Than?: Make three cards, one with the < sign, one with > sign, and one with an = sign. Then play a game in which you put down two numbers (also on papers). Ask your child to put the correct sign between the numbers and do this is as fast as possible, seeing how many rounds he can get correct in a certain amount of time. Track how many your child got right and ask him to beat his record another time in the future.
• Build Things: Use blocks or other building toys to construct houses, towers, vehicles etc. As you build, count pieces by tens, add and subtract pieces, and pay attention to the different shapes you use.
• Take a Poll: Ask family members a question and create a graph of the answers using numbers and pictures. Ask your child questions about the different “data” you collected.
• Order Up: Compare the sizes of different objects. Ask your child which object is larger, smaller and smallest. Ask your child to order some of his toys in size order. Time him to see how fast he can do this!
• Set the Table: Setting the table for meals can include lots of math as you and your child add the total numbers of utensils, plates, chairs, etc.