
Cook and/or bake. Find fun recipes that incorporate mixing and measuring. Put your child in charge of the numbers. For an added challenge, add in a few extra fractions and multiplication problems by making a “bakers dozen” or a “double batch”.
Schedule a day trip or vacation. Allow your child to play a role in planning. Establish a budget. Determine how much gas will be need based on how many miles you will be going. Also, figure out how much time you can allocate to each activity, etc…the numbers are endless!
Hold a game night. Playing games are a great way to incorporate math. Many games require adding numbers on a dice, counting numbers of moves, and keeping track of scores. Some of our favorites include: Rush hour, Sumoku, Sum Swamp, Head Full of Numbers, Monopoly, Sorry, Candyland, Bingo, Life, Trouble, Chutes and Ladders, and for the real little ones Richard Scarry’s “I Found It”.
Play sports. When you take your child out to the ball game, have them keep track of the score and figure out the batting average of their favorite player. Also, keep track of the team records and compare who’s best in the league.
Grow a garden. This doesn’t need to be in a large area, it can simply be in a windowsill. Have your little one help determine the amount of water and soil needed. Measure the growth of the plants each week. Count the buds of flowers. Track during which month and week the plants show the most growth.
These math activities will not only avoid summer regression, but add more quality family time. *Added bonus: they will be having so much fun they won’t even realize they’re learning!