Mathematics is an integral part of our daily lives, and it is crucial to develop maths skills from a young age. In Singapore, where maths is a core subject in the education system, it is essential to make maths a daily way of life for kids. Fortunately, numerous simple daily activities can help kids develop their maths skills and make maths a fun and engaging subject. In this post, we will explore some simple activities that can make maths a daily way of life for kids in Singapore.
Culinary Magic!
Cooking and baking are excellent ways to practise maths skills. Measuring ingredients, adjusting recipes, and calculating cooking times are all mathematical tasks that require precision and accuracy.
Encouraging kids to get involved in the kitchen and make cooking and baking a fun maths activity can help them develop their maths skills while learning valuable life skills.
Wise Pockets
Budgeting is an excellent way to teach kids about money management and maths skills. Whether you are creating a household budget or planning a vacation, budgeting requires you to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Involving kids in the budgeting process and teaching them how to manage money can help them develop financial literacy and maths skills.
Play!
Playing games is a fun way to practise maths skills. Games like Sudoku, chess, and card games require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Encouraging kids to play games that involve maths and logic can help them develop their maths skills while having fun.
Treasure hunt
Shopping is an excellent way to teach kids about money and maths skills. Taking kids grocery shopping and involving them in the process can help them learn how to compare prices, calculate discounts, and estimate the total cost of the items.Â
For example, " This bowl of sushi is $8. We need to get some oranges, spinach and potatoes first. Mummy has $30; let's see if we have enough to get some sushi afterwards! "
This can help them develop their maths skills while learning about money management.
Plantopia
Gardening is a great way to teach kids about maths and science. Measuring the distance between plants, calculating the amount of soil needed, and determining the amount of water required are all mathematical tasks that require precision and accuracy.Â
Gardening also teaches kids about the environment and the importance of sustainability.
Story-telling
Reading is an excellent way to improve maths skills. Many books, especially children's books, incorporate maths concepts into the story.
Recommendations:
1. Ten on a Twig by Lo Cole (Pre-K–P1): Ten adorably colourful birds sit happily on a
branch—until they begin to fall off one by one! Subtraction is a hard concept to introduce to young kiddos, but this story makes it fun and concrete.Â
2. If You Were a Minute by Tricia Speed Shaskan (P1–P3): Kids can look at a clock and read the time, but this book helps them understand what can be done in different amounts of time to build deeper meaning. It is never too early to introduce time management skills.
3. One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi (P3-P5): In this Indian folktale, a clever girl named Rani helps her village by making a deal with a greedy raja. She receives one grain of rice, doubled, for 30 days. Over time, more than 1 billion rice grains became available for all the villagers to share. The story teaches problem-solving, multiplication, fairness, and sharing.
Encouraging kids to read books that involve maths and asking them questions about the story can help them develop their maths skills while improving their reading comprehension.
In conclusion, maths is an essential subject in the education system in Singapore, and numerous simple activities can make math a daily way of life for kids. The activities shared in this post are all fun and engaging ways to practise maths skills. Encouraging kids to get involved in these activities and make maths a part of their daily routine can help them hone their maths skills and make maths a fun and exciting subject to learn.
Written by: Ms Harsheeni Hanna Rajoo, Educational Therapist
Vetted by: Dr Lian Wee Bin, Developmental Paediatrician & Neonatologist