Object Hunt
Make a math game of searching for objects around the house or outside. Use the game to practice concepts that your child is learning, such as color, size (large, medium, small), weight (heavy, light), quantity, and relationship (inside, on top of, below).
How to Play
There are two versions of this game. Both versions involve a Puzzler, who thinks of an object to find, and a Guesser, who tries to guess what the object based on the information from the Puzzler.
Version 1
The Puzzler starts describing an object, and the Guesser tries to guess what it is.
Version 2
The Guesser asks yes/no questions of the Puzzler until the Guesser guesses what the object is.
How to Win
guess what the object is in as few steps as possible.
Helping your Child
First and foremost, playing math games should be fun, like any other game your family plays together!
Please let your child make poor plays (mistakes) without correction, and resist the urge to tell them the best ways to play. Bit by bit, your child will get better at the game, and they will learn so much more if you let them figure things out. There is no hurry.
If you see your child make a mistake, ask them to describe why they decided to do what they did. If your child is stuck and doesn’t know which play to make, ask them to describe the pros and cons of their choices, or ask them about how they solved a similar situation in the past. If your child doesn’t remember how to do a calculation, discuss with them the methods they know for figuring it out. These conversations are important for helping your child to develop mathematically.
Through math game play and math conversations, you are helping your child learn to enjoy math and develop important problem solving skills.