Tag Archives: fun.

4 Fun Math Games for Children

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Fun Math Games for Preschoolers

If you mention “math” or “math game” in our house, you will usually hear shouts of joy and excitement. My children love math and I am always on the look out for games we can play to keep it exciting and fun. Here are a some of our new (and old) favorites that are easy to adjust for the player’s ability.

Math Match

Supplies needed:

  • Paper cut into squares – we used card stock and 10 pieces per game we played
  • marker
  • small zippered sandwich bag (optional)

For beginner learners, start out with number matching. If they are comfortable adding, start off with the ones. For example on each card write: “1+1, 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 1+5″ and then on the other cards write the answers: “2, 3, 4, 5, 6″.  Then the player tries to find the addition problem and it’s matching solution.

This is where we are at with my preschooler. Up to the number 5 is her max for now. When we are finished we store all the cards in a bag with the number 1 written on it so we can play it again another day. We learned this game from a version her 1st grade brother brought home. I can imagine we will be playing a variation of this for a long time because we can always make it as advanced as we need to.

Dice War

Oh, the magic of the dice! There are so many games we can play with these little squares. This one can be played with multiple players.

Supplies needed:

  • 1 – 2 dice
  • 1 or more eager learners

Easy Version: One player rolls 1 dice and everyone tries to be the first person to say what number was rolled. This is great for beginner learners or to prepare players to play the advanced version. It took my preschooler a few minutes of this version to get the hang of adding the dots on the dice

Advanced Version: Each player rolls a dice (max 2) and the everyone tries to be the first person to call out the answer to the total of the roll. For example: If Player 1 rolls a 2 and Player 2 rolls a 5, the goal is to be the first to call out the answer 7. For my 5 year old preschooler, we took this slow and only did it with her so she had time to add up the numbers on her own.

The Garbage Counting Game

We shared this Garbage Counting Game before and still love it in our house. There is a video demo, too.

Bean and Straws Counting Game

I have not met a child, yet, who does not like to play with a straw. This Beans and Straws Make Counting Fun game is also a favorite and a fun game for the whole family. It also has a video demonstration.

ENJOY!!!

*Top photo curtesy of courtesy of digital art / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Bubble Themed Day

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Bubble Paint

The weather is warming up and I am ready to have a little fun. I find myself scheming and planning our summer schedule already and have decided I just can not wait! So, we are going to celebrate our nice weather with some bubble fun and turned it into a Bubble Themed Day with a few activities and some great books.

Bubble Activities

Basic Bubble Fun

I don’t think I have ever met a child who does not enjoy bubbles, so keep it simple. Go outside and blow bubbles. Let them pop them, count them, step on them or anything else you can think of. I can still send my kiddos outside and they will keep blowing and playing with the bubbles as long as they have bubble solution available.

Advanced Bubble Fun

Have a little science fun by adding different objects with holes to a shallow dish of bubbles and see what happens. For older children, have them search for items on their own and see what they come up with. You can use string, plastic lids with holes cut into it, use your finger and thumb in a circle (the O.K. sign) or anything else you can think of. My personal favorite is a slightly open fist and if I immerse my hand in bubbles, I can blow bubbles out the other end of my hand.

Bubble Art

Create bubble paint by adding water, tempera paint and a couple squirts of dish soap to a pie tin or cup.  Take a straw and blow into the mixture to create bubbles. Then take a sheet of paper and touch it to the top of the bubbles to create a fun design. (Bubble paint = About 1/2-1 cup water, 1-2 T of paint per couple squirts of dish soap…not an exact science.)

Bubble Bath 

An easy activity to do to end a Bubble Themed Day is to have a bubble bath, of course! My kiddos are always excited for a good bubble bath!

Bubble Books

And you can not have a Bubble Themed Day without some good bubble books. We went to our local library to see what kind of bubble books they have and found a couple fun ones. What will you find? Tip: When searching for books using their catalog, use “bubble” instead of “bubbles”. We did not find any children’s books with “bubbles”, but had plenty of options without the “s”.

 

5 Ways To De-stress With Children – Stress Awareness Month

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Stress Awareness Month

 

With life’s busy schedule it can be easy to forget the stress we put on ourselves and our children. In my own family, I know it can get pretty stressful to just get out of the house sometimes! With April being Stress Awareness Month I thought it would be fun to list some fun ways to de-stress for yourself and your children.

Yoga

My kiddos love to do yoga. I will admit, the first few times we only get to do 2-5 minutes of it or they may complain the whole time, but their endurance is increasing. I now have one child who asks for it all the time. She loves it and thus her brother tries to jump in and do it, too.

There are a bunch of resources available to help you teach the different poses, but I recently found a couple short, free videos via Hulu with a focus on children: AM Yoga for Kids and PM Yoga for Kids. You can also check out your local library for some books that may help demonstrate the different poses. The best experiences we have had are with books and videos that incorporate an animal or a story into the yoga pose/workout. For example, I found this book at our local library:

“You are a LION!: and other fun yoga poses”, by Taeeun Yoo

Coloring

Coloring is not just for fun but can be very relaxing, too (even for parents). It forces you to sit down and slow down. My children are tickled pink when I can color with them!

Singing

Oh, the magic of music! It can cause many emotions and can also relieve stress. Singing is definitely something that helps me de-stress. We have been experiencing some grumpy and stressed out kids in our carpool on the way home, so, I have incorporated the “Singing Rule” for these moments. If we want to say something, we have to sing it! It is amazing to see how quickly a change in mood can occur and soon we are all giggling.

Naps

Who doesn’t love a good nap? Probably a kiddo who really needs it! In our neck of the woods we call them “rests”. I try to teach my children that it is okay to take a nap when we are having a rough day. I’ll admit that most of the time a rest is the perfect answer for a stressed out child.

Play Dough and/or Rice Play

Get out your favorite play dough recipe and make some homemade play dough. Let your children beat, squish, and shape the dough all while getting out their stress in a healthy manner. Rice Play is similar to Play Dough. We usually used a 10 lb bag of rice and poured it into a large square container to allow the children plenty of space to dump, pour and bury. Rice Play is also a very calming activity.

 

Stress is always going to be a part of our lives, but that does not mean we have to keep it around. Take notice of it and do something fun to de-stress with your family!

*Image courtesy of Phaitoon (coloring photo) and Stuart Miles (play dough photo) / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“Secret Missions” – Sneaking Reading and Math Into The Day

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Making Chores fun

Just using the phrase “Secret Missions” spike curiosity in my two young children and they eagerly want to be a part of whatever it is. Every now and then we all need a change of pace. That is where “Secret Missions” come in! Give some variety to your regular routine and sneak in some number, letter and letter sound recognition, along with some writing and reading practice. You can even sneak in some math for an added challenge, if you want. Right now we use “Secret Missions” as a part of our chore routine, hence the lovely hairdos my kiddos are styling with in the picture above.

What You Need:

  • Paper
  • Pencil or pen (or markers, if your children are obsessed with them like mine are)

Directions:

Step 1: Create an encryption code. Keep it simple or make it as complicated as you like. I recommend starting simple and making it more complicated as needed. For now, we assigned a number to each letter of the alphabet in numerical order. It is a good review for my almost 1st grader and a little bit of a challenge for my 4 year old. The 4 year old gets a chance to practice her letter/sound recognition and is able to put a name to some new numbers. She can currently go to 12, so going to 26 is fun little push for her. Plus, she loves to do what her older brother is doing and he loves to help her.

Ideas For Variety Or To Make It More Challenging:

  • Assign each letter a number not in numerical order like the above example.
  • Add math to the code. Instead of 1, 2, 3 for each letter make it all addition for the code or a variety of addition and subtraction. (i.e. 0+1, 1+1, 2+1 or 2-1, 1+1, 5-2, etc.)
  • Add shapes to the code. For additional options you can use patterns (star star or square circle, etc.)
  • Or use a variety of above.

Step 2: Create your secret code. This can be whatever you would like…a list of chores, something fun to do, a place you are going, a list of items to pack for a trip or a day out, etc.

Step 3: Decipher the code!

Like I said above, we are currently making our morning chores into “Secret Missions”. We have started with only 3 Missions for now and the current reward is 15 minutes with their favorite computer game. Each child deciphers one mission at a time, then they sound out the words (with help, if needed) and complete the job before they can work on the next Mission. Even though my 6 year old grumbles at the idea of chores and always starts grumbling through the start of figuring out his mission (because that is work for him, too! =-) ), I am amazed at how fast he runs off to do his job and comes back to the table to conquer the next Mission. Even my 4 year old cleaned up her room without me reminding her and did it without asking for help. That never happens!

This is what my son’s final mission looked like when he was done. The next time I write the code I need to make it in lowercase letters, so he does not get in the habit of writing in all caps. (His teacher did not like that last year. =-))

Enjoy!

12 Ways to Nurture a Love for Reading in your Preschooler

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Princess Fiona Pancake

I grew up in love with reading books. To this day, I have at least 1-3 books I am reading at any given time. I hope that my children grow up loving to read too! I created a little list of things we do at home to help my kids love to read. Please add your ideas in the comments – I know this list is by far not exhaustive.

1. Read books that are currently movies

We know our kids are marketed to every day. We see the movie characters on t-shirts, shoes and toys. Take advantage of this marketing and get more excited about the books than the movie and products. Engage your preschooler in conversation about why s/he loves this movie and read the book over and over.

2. Let them pick out books

Even if you are tired of reading that really long (and admit it – annoying!) book, be happy they want to be read to. Let your child take ownership in choosing the book. If you are at the library, discuss the book s/he wants and find it together. And be flexible. Kids do change their mind – let them! Let the book choosing be 100% their idea and they will love it more.

3. Let them have their own library card

This goes right along with the ownership. Preschoolers are generally more excited to check out books when they are using something that is theirs to get them. It will make them feel special and like a “big kid.” Play this up! There is nothing quite as rewarding as making the library a place they love to go to!

4. Create your own stories at home

Get out the crayons and notebook paper. Let your child draw and create a story from his/her imagination.  The more your child enjoys using their imagination, the more they will love using it when they read books too. Plus, you will be shocked at how much fun it is to get into your child’s head. There are some funny stories your preschooler can tell!

5. Read with funny voices

I can still hear the giggles from my 3 year old son as I tried to sound like the Lorax. Using funny voices bonds your child to the book, helps it come alive in their world, and really makes for some precious memories! Don’t just get through the book, make it spring to LIFE!

6. Leave books around the house

In other words, make reading always accessible. Show your child how much you love books by always having them within hand’s reach.  There are a ton of creative storage solutions for books. I browse Pinterest for hours seeing all of them!

7. Create their own special reading place

I wish I had a bay window I could set up with pillows and blankets. That is my dream. But for now we have a recliner in the living room and my daughter’s books are on the stand next to it. She can curl up there whenever she wants to flip through her favorite books.  This is all about creating a positive association with books – making them relaxing and calming for times when they need the quiet time.

8. Cook meals based on the books they love

Few things make books come alive like food! Maybe you are reading Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom and you want to drink some coconut milk.  Or perhaps you can read a Curious George book and then have bananas for snacks. While you eat your book-inspired snack, talk about the book you just read together. This helps with comprehension.

9. Act out their favorite books

Another way to increase reading comprehension is to help them recall the plot of the book by acting it out with you.  Plus, this is also super fun.  Dress up like the characters and allow your preschooler to improvise and change the plot to how s/he wanted it to be.

10. Praise their early reading success

As you read together, ask them to read with you out loud. When they recognize sight words and sound out other words, get excited! Make them laugh and enjoy their success.

11. Talk about the book as you read it

Sometimes I just want to get through the book. I read fast and flip from page to page. But it helps the child to enjoy the book if you take your time. Discuss what just happened. Ask “what is going to happen next? Do you think……?” Let your child ask questions and make statements about the story. More time consuming – for sure! – but also way more fun for the child and it helps their creative thinking and problem solving skills.

12. Read with each child one-on-one

This is really hard to do when you have more than one child. But when you make book reading a special time with just you and one child – even if this happens once a week – your child will grow up associating books with that special time with you. S/he will always love this and (hopefully) love to read too!

Beans and Straws Make Counting Fun

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Game for the whole family

We have a favorite family game that we have played for a few years with M&Ms and shake straws. The only problem with this game is that younger children do not have the lung strength to play. It was not until I visited my son’s kindergarten class that I learned an alternative. His teacher taught me a similar game that we could play at home that used beans and regular straws, which is easier for the younger children to use. Genius! We have been having a lot of fun with it over the past couple of weeks.

Supplies Needed

  • Dried beans
  • A cup for every person playing, or one for each team
  • 1 straw for each player (regular sized straws)
  • 1 die/dice (optional)
  • 1 pie tin for the die to roll in (not pictured, but highly recommended to keep the die contained)
  • 1 large bowl for the beans (especially helpful when playing with a large group, but not necessary for smaller groups)

Object

Using the straw, suck as many beans from the pile as possible before another player rolls a 3. Once all the beans are gone from the pile, the player with the most beans wins.

Rules

  1. No touching anything other than the straw and your cup when sucking the beans up (i.e. do not have one hand holding the beans in place while trying to suck up the beans).
  2. You must roll a 3 (or other chosen number) in order for your turn to start sucking up the beans with the straw.
  3. The only way to transfer the beans from the bowl to your cup is by sucking with the straw. (NO HANDS!)

Directions

First, let the younger children playing get a chance to practice before the game begins.

Once you are ready to begin, pass around the pie tin with the die to the left. Each player rolls. The first player to get a 3 can start sucking beans with their straw.

The person to the left of the “Bean Sucker” then gets the die. Each player keeps passing the die along to the left until another player rolls a 3, and then it is that player’s turn and the current “Bean Sucker” stops sucking. The “Bean Sucker” does not roll the die while it is their turn to be snagging beans.

Keep repeating until all the beans are gone!

Once the game is over, it is fun to let everyone count their beans. A little practice never hurt anyone, right?

One of my favorite things about this game is the faces…

Love it!

This is not a fancy video, but if you are a visual person, this will help!

Teaching Shapes and Memory

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cornSideSong

“Mommy, can you help me find the diamond?” My four-year-old daughter’s voice pleads and she smiles when I turn the computer screen my way.

We are playing the Rusty and Rosy Memory game. With every card we flip over, the voice of the computer announces the shape.

“Heart. Star.”

“Mommy, find the other diamond!” Lizzie insists. “The first one is right here.” Her finger points to the top right of the screen.

Then, out of pure luck, we find the match!

“Diamond. Diamond.” The computer announces. The cards disappear. Lizzie laughs!

This is one of the most fun games on the Rusty and Rosy Reading™ software. Lizzie doesn’t even know she is learning her shapes and improving her retention and memory skills.

And bonus: we are spending valuable time together.

As we flip cards over and she tells me where each shape is and the name of them, we giggle and laugh. This is precious time that I wish I could freeze and replay on a whim.

There are other games and activities in Rusty and Rosy Reading that she is able to play by herself, but this one is fun to play together.

I am all for making learning fun. We learn fractions by baking cookies. We learn patterns while folding laundry. So the games on Rusty and Rosy Reading fit perfectly in my parenting scheme.

I kiss her chubby cheek and sit back to watch her flip cards over to find the match. Her methodology is different than mine. She flips the first card in the row over and then clicks every single card over in a straight line until she finds the match. Then she moves to the next one.

I seize the opportunity to teach her to use her memory.

“Lizzie, instead of going back to this card, do you remember what card you just flipped over?”

“Yes, it was the oval,” She replies

“Well, how about you flip over the oval and then see if you can remember where you saw the other oval last?”

She thinks for a second, but doesn’t want to budge. She likes doing things her way.

“No, mommy! Now we have to find the other square!” she says as she points to the next card in line.

I sigh and let her learn her way. Learning should be fun and she is doing both.

Fun on a Dime

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Michelle Collage Pic

If there is one thing I know, it is that life is busy and at times it can be a little crazy. AND sometimes we forget that we all need a little fun in our lives!

I have always been frugal growing up and have had tons of fun. A couple of years ago, feeling cooped up and weighed down by our living situation I realized that I forgot the basics of having fun! There is a phrase: Those who have time spend money, and those who don’t have money spend time. I am a big believer of this phrase, and the same is true for fun. And thus, I started to challenge myself to look for more opportunities to teach, learn, and have fun at home with my family, spending as little as possible and using my resources and my own experiences from growing up. And thus, Fun On a Dime was born to keep track of all our fun projects. It has since morphed into a site to inspire other individuals and families with fun ideas to enhance their quality time together.

As a family we like to take basic experiences and turn them into an adventure! For instance, we do not just go on a family hike but we try to learn something new about where we are going or look for certain things on the trail. Or we bake cookies together—which is not always the easiest to do with young children—and talk about texture, scents, taste, etc. These are activities we do quite frequently, and it is amazing to see that there is always something new to learn.

I am also a big believer that we as parents are our child’s best teacher. We are their first exposure to the world, and they learn from us, whether we like it or not. And so, I try to stop and enjoy the little things in life with my two kiddos. We ask a lot of questions and then try to go and find the answers. These two little ones are only “all mine” and completely under my influence for so long and then they go off to school. I need to make the time we have count. Now that I have one kindergartner, I am already feeling like he is gone too much and I do not get enough fun time with him! I realize that it is more important now than ever to take the time to have those fun learning experiences. Those are the ties that are going to bind us as a family and keep us close as my kiddos grow older. I hope to share this with other families as well.

Michelle is part of the Rusty and Rosy Star Blogger team and also blogs at www.funonadime.net.