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Math Based

Daily Math Activity with the Free Math Quest Calendar

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Learning math can get a bad wrap. But doing a math activity daily has benefits when getting your child to love math.

Incorporating daily math activities can build confidence and lay the foundation for essential life skills. Besides, short, daily activities help reinforce what kids are learning.

Even just 10–15 minutes a day can make a huge difference over time.

Daily Math Activity with the Free Math Quest Calendar

Daily exposure helps kids see mistakes as part of the learning process, not something to fear.

Besides, math teaches more than just numbers. It builds critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Activities can help kids learn to analyze, predict, and strategize.

Too, look at some of these math living books.

MATH BOOKS FOR KIDS

Reading books about math help to teach concepts that are not easy to understand.

8+ Living Math Books About Counting, Addition and Subtraction

A living book or story brings math to life. Books like these have a way of explaining math concepts in a story form so young children understand them. Add one or two to your library.

Sir Cumference Series 12 Books Set (Book #1 - Book #12)

This Sir Cumference Series 12 Books Set includes: 1. Sir Cumference and the First Round Table 9781570911521 2. Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi 9781570911644 3. Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland 9781570911699 4. Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone 9781570916014 5. Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter 9780439025805 6. Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens 9781570917288 7. Sir Cumference
and the Viking's Map 9781570917929 8. Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Dessert 9781570911996 9. Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle 9781570917660 10. Sir Cumference and the Fracton Faire 9781570917721 11. Sir Cumference Gets Decima's Point 9781570918452 12. Sir Cumference and the 100 PerCent Goose Chase 9781623543211

12 Ways to Get to 11 (Aladdin Picture Books)

Eve Merriam and Bernie Karlin take young readers on a counting adventure as they demonstrate twelve witty and imaginative ways to get to eleven.

The Hershey's Kisses Addition Book

Illustrations featuring Hershey's Kisses demonstrate the basic rules of addition.

Panda Math: Learning About Subtraction from Hua Mei and Mei Sheng

Learn about subtraction with the San Diego Zoo’s famous baby pandas Hua Mei was the first giant panda cub born in the United States that survived more than a few days. She was born at the San Diego Zoo, and four years later her mother had another baby, Mei Sheng. Hua Mei and her brother, Mei Sheng, spend their days climbing on logs, lounging in trees, and eating bamboo. A lot of things the pandas do can be thought of in terms of subtraction. Young readers follow the famous cubs as they grow from tiny infants to big, bouncing pandas and learn about subtraction along the way.

Sea Sums

With an appealing abundance of plants and animals, the shallows of an ocean coral reef offer a natural background for an under-the-sea arithmetic party. Creatures from stingrays to clams, crabs to sea urchins, and more disappear and reappear to provide young mathematicians with a fascinating array of equations--and a mini ecology lesson about life on a coral reef. Full color.

Ten Sly Piranhas

Ten sly piranhas are swimming in a river, but one at a time they disappear, until there is only one left.  Now that this proud overeater is the only surviving piranha, he is confident that he can eat anybody.  But while he may be the cleverest fish in the river, he is no match for the giant crocodile lurking on the bank.  Children will love learning to count backward in this crafty tale about one very hungry piranha.

88 pounds of tomatoes (Hello math reader)

Two friends plan a party to use all the tomatoes they expect to get from their Wonder Plant.

Anno's Magic Seeds

A wizard gives Jack two magic seeds with the instructions to eat one, which will feed him for one full year, and plant the other, which will produce two more seeds and allow the cycle to continue, but Jack has his own idea, in a fantasy introduction to numbers and counting.

Also, look at these other fun math activities

MATH ACTIVITIES

Daily Math Activity with the Free Math Quest Calendar

Finally, download this free math activity calendar.

HOW TO GET THE FREE DAILY MATH QUEST CALENDAR

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Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator

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We’re making a diy lego math calculator. Also, look at my Ancient Civilizations page about Ancient Egypt for more ideas!

Ancient Egypt was an advanced society.

We know that from the structures and texts left behind.

Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator

The Great Pyramids are one of many structures that are considered marvels in engineering and mathematics for the time.

Math isn’t always a subject kids are excited about.

How did something that has history to the beginnings of society get such a bad rap? That’s a good question.

One of the issues with any academic subject is a desire to keep common people from understanding.

Hieroglyphics themselves were designed as a language of the gods and not meant for common people.

Common people are smart and developed a less complex form of writing called demotic.

Creating barriers to learning has created mistrust in academics from the earliest time in history.

Ancient Egyptian Geometry

The other issue is human nature. People like what they understand and can do easily.

Complex mathematics systems quickly became more time consuming than many hard working people had time to pursue.

Basic mathematics became an integral part of life just as it is today.

Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: How to Build a DIY LEGO Calculator

Ancient Egyptians used addition and subtraction much like we do today, with one glaring exception… they were missing a zero.

Two other civilizations later developed zero (independently of each other -Indian and Mayan civilizations).

The lack of zero made large numbers very tedious to write and read.

Division and Fractions

Ancient Egyptians didn’t use a common denominator and relied on unit fractions.

Unit fractions have a 1 as the numerator.

Fractions would be written mostly as ¼ + 1/5 + 1/8 + 1/10. Splitting loaves of bread would become a complex task of dividing.

In modern mathematics, that would be simplified by a common denominator of 40.

10/40 + 8/40 + 5/40 + 4/40= 27/40

Many fractions were written using parts of an important symbol, the eye of Horus.

Eye of Horus Fractions

Since fractions are actually division problems. Division became a difficult task using multiple fractions to arrive at an answer.

Multiplication in Ancient Egypt – Rudimentary Calculators

Ancient Egyptian multiplication was a system of duplication that was arduous, but similar to skip counting that we use today.

Let’s work through some examples of Ancient Egyptian multiplication. . I think you might have a deeper appreciation for modern mathematics after these examples.

Multiply 5×8

Simple Mutiplication Table

The answer is 40. This is accomplished by doubling (multiplying by a factor of 2)

What if you are looking for a number other than multiplying by 2,4 or 8?

5×6

Using a Multiplication Table

2+4=6

Look at those corresponding numbers on the 5s side and add:

10+20=30

What about 5×5?

Using a Multiplication Table with Kids

1+4=5

Corresponding numbers on the 5s side and add:

5+20=25

How to Create A LEGO Math Calculator

You can create your own Ancient Egyptian Calculator using Lego bricks.

I used a basic building board and some odds and ends blocks we had laying around.

Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator. Ancient Egypt was an advanced society. We know that from the structures and texts left behind. The Great Pyramids are one of many structures that are considered marvels in engineering and mathematics for the time. Your kids will love this fun hands-on math activity. You can create your own Ancient Egyptian Calculator using Lego bricks. Click here to see how!

This calculator is for multiples of 4.

The yellow blocks are the 1s and the green blocks are the multiples of 4 (4s).

DIY Lego Calculator

To figure out 6 X 4, combine those quantities:

How to Build a LEGO Math Calculator

8+16=24 / 6 X 4=24

You could have kids make these for numbers 2-9.

This would be a great way to instill logic into the tedious task of memorizing math facts.

MORE ANCIENT EGYPT ACTIVITIES

Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator. Ancient Egypt was an advanced society. We know that from the structures and texts left behind. The Great Pyramids are one of many structures that are considered marvels in engineering and mathematics for the time. Your kids will love this fun hands-on math activity. You can create your own Ancient Egyptian Calculator using Lego bricks. Click here to see how!

Written by Kim at The Learning Hypothesis.

Looking for more hands-on math fun?

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

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One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips

Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery.

The Pythagorean Theorem is that theorem you probably remember from your own middle school and high school years: a² + b² = c². Today we’re going to teach our kids the theorem with a hands-on activity!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

But first let’s take a look at what a mathematical theorem is.

Hands-On Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

A mathematical theorem is a statement that can be shown to be true by accepted mathematical operations.

This means you can’t just make up a proof and say it works. You have to use logic, reasoning, and accepted mathematical operations to show the theorem is true. Today we’ll be using squares and areas to show the Pythagorean Theorem is true.

So what exactly is the Pythagorean Theorem?

Pythagorean Theorem: The square of a square drawn on the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the areas of the squares drawn on the other two sides.

Put another way: a² + b² = c².

In other words. If you have a right angle and measure each side, the square of side a plus the square of side b is equal to the square of the long slope we call the hypotenuse.

What You Need for This Activity:

  • Graph Paper
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Pen

Directions
According to the Pythagorean Theorem, if I draw a right triangle, the square of the two sides added together will equal the square of the hypotenuse. Let’s see if this actually works!

Step 1: Pull out your graph paper and draw a right triangle on it. I’m going to use sides with the length of 3 boxes and 4 boxes.

Pythagorean Theorem for Kids

Step 2: Measure the hypotenuse.

Easy Pythagorean Theorem Lesson

Step 3: Remember square of a number is the area of a square with that length of side. So I’m now going to draw and cut out my squares. One square will have sides the length of 2 squares on the graph paper. One square will have sides the length of 3 squares, while the third will have the length I measured!

To make the next step more clear I’m going to highlight the squares in different colors. The small one will be yellow. The medium will be green. And the large one will be blue.

Simple Pythagorean Theorem Activity

Step 4: Let’s see if the area of the two small triangles will equal the area of the large triangle! We’re going to do this by laying the medium square on top of the large square.

Pythagorean Theorem Lesson for Kids

Now you have a choice. If you count the squares left over on the large triangle, you’ll notice there are 9 squares. And what’s 3²? 9! Or you can do what I did and cut the square to fit the left over area.

Pythagorean Theorem Hands On Activity

As you can see, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides. The Pythagorean Theorem works!


Now let’s run through all 4 steps again with different numbers. This time I’m going to use sides with lengths of 6 and 8.

Step 1: Again we create the right triangle.

Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 2: Now measure the hypotenuse.

Measuring Triangles with Kids

Step 3: Create the squares.

Easy Way to Teach the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 4: Do the squares of the sides equal the square of the hypotenuse? The highlighter caused the sides of my squares to curl, so I used a touch of tape to force the squares to lie flat. Even so, as you can see the answer is yes!

Showing Kids the Pythagorean Theorem
Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem for Homeschoolers

Try the activity yourself using varying lengths for the sides.

No matter what the length of the sides of your right triangle, you’ll discover the squares always equal the square of the hypotenuse or a² + b² = c².

You’ve shown the Pythagorean Theorem works!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

Written by Sara at Classically Homeschooling.

So what lengths did you use for your right triangles?

Teach math with these other fun homeschool activities!

Hands-On Middle School Math: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt (Printable)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a hands-on middle school everyday math scavenger hunt free printable.

My children learn best through hands-on activities.

So far, I have managed to easily incorporate experiential learning into our history, science, and language arts studies.

Math, however, has been a different story. Finding age appropriate and relevant hands-on math for my middle schooler has been a challenge.

Add to this the fact that he doesn’t see the point in doing his math work at all, and it becomes clear that I need to find an out-of-the-box approach to this subject.

Hands-on Middle School Math and printable scavenger math hunt

I knew that the first thing I wanted to incorporate was an activity that would take math out of the textbook and into everyday life.

Too often, I find myself trying to simply tell him all the ways we use math everyday.

Hands-on Math for Older Learners: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt

I am pretty sure he hears about 10% of what I say and then I become one of the adults in the Charlie Brown movies.

Rather than lecturing him about everyday math, I decided it was time to save my breath and create an activity that would allow him to explore it on his own!

What you will need for this activity:

  • Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt Printable
  • A Pen or Pencil
  • Time to Explore and Think
Our Journey Westward


It’s super simple, to be sure, but I found it to be super effective as well!

After printing the scavenger hunt, I reviewed the different types of everyday math listed with my son.

Everyday Math Hunt for Kids

The hunt requires the learner to look for examples of:

  • Temperature
  • A Recipe with Fractions
  • A Decimal
  • Numbers Written in Word Form
  • A Number Greater than 200,000,000
  • Height and Weight
  • Percentage
  • A Price
  • Volume Measurement
  • A Repeating Pattern
  • A Graph
  • Date and Time
  • An Angle
Math Scavenger Hunt

It also asks the learner as a bonus, to find three examples of everyday math on their own.

The only rule for this activity is that no textbooks or typical “school materials” can be used. The learner must find examples of math in everyday places.

Looking for Everyday Math Examples

In order to make it a little more challenging and also a bit more fun, I asked my son to first try to find as many of the items as possible outdoors.

Hands-On Middle School Math

Looking for Everyday Math with Kids

My son did really well, and he really had to think a bit to find some of the items.

(Let’s just say percentages are not all over the place in our home – an old grocery receipt, with savings listed, did the trick, but it took a while to find.)

Overall, this was a great way to help my son understand why we learn math in the first place.

Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt

It also allowed to him to see first hand, how critical basic math skills are for his success in life.

More Every Day Math Activities

Having to critically think of how these math examples are present all around us, combined with having to come up with three of his own examples made for a math filled afternoon (with zero complaints!).

Our Journey Westward
Hands-On Middle School Math: Everyday Math Scavenger Hunt. Making homeschool math of your everyday life by doing this fun hands-on middle school math activity of a scavenger hunt. Download a free printable everyday math scavenger hunt. CLICK HERE to grab the free printable and teach your kids out of the box middle school math!

How to Get the Free Printable

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

 1) Sign up on my email list to follow me and get this freebie and many others.
 2) Grab the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

If you’re looking for a way to bring math to life, you’ll love the book, Loving Living Math for homeschoolers. This how-to guide for parents will help you understand and implement living math principles at any grade level.

We gave this activity an A+.

Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.

How to Teach Limits: Hands-on Middle School Math

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Eventually kids run into the concept of limits during their math classes. In traditional classes, it’s common to use graphs to explain this idea. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

But when you homeschool, you can make learning a bit more hands-on, which is how I prefer to teach my children.

This fun hands-on math activity is a great (and simple) way to explore this concept with middle school students!

How to Teach Limits: Hands-on Middle School Math

Sometime around 450 BCE, Zeno of Elea, one of the ancient Greek Philosophers, gave a puzzle to his students.

How to Teach Limits: Hands-on Middle School Math. It's common to use graphs to explain how to teach limits. But when you homeschool, you can make learning a bit more hands-on. Click here to see how to bring this math concept alive

A tortoise came up to Achilles and proposed a race.

You know who Achilles is, right? The hero of the Illiad (think Trojan War). The guy who died of an arrow in his ankle. The mighty hero himself!

Well we’ve met the tortoise in Aesop’s Fables. He’s a pretty smart guy.

So the tortoise comes up to Achilles and proposes a race. Achilles fell down laughing. A slow, crawling, reptile is challenging ME to a race?

Why yes. However I need a head start. 10 meters should be enough.

Achilles laughs harder, even with a head start he’d quickly catch the tortoise!

Then the tortoise begins to explain.

No matter how fast you run, you will only catch up to where I WAS, not where I am now. After you’ve run the 10 meters, I will have moved farther ahead.

No matter how fast you run, you will only run to where I have been. Not where I will be. I will have always added a small distance before you reach where I am. So you can never catch up to me.

Achilles sadly conceded the race.

So let’s take a look at this concept on the kitchen table.

Pull out your Achilles and Tortoise. We used two different Lego minifigures.

Set the Tortoise ahead of Achilles. Place a piece of tape or use a piece of posterboard to mark the spot where the tortoise is standing.

Simple Math Limits Activity

Now move “Achilles” to the designated spot, but move the “tortoise” slightly ahead.

Hands On Math Limits Activity

Do this again and again and again. No matter how fast Achilles runs, he always ends up where the Tortoise WAS, not where he is.

Teaching Kids About Math Limits

In the pure world of mathematics, Achilles will always run the where the Tortoise WAS, not where the Tortoise IS. Achilles will get close to the Tortoise. He may be atoms away from the Tortoise, but he will never catch Achilles.

The tortoise is the limit for Achilles in the race.

A limit is the value that a function or sequence approaches as the input, or index, approaches some value.

Achilles can approach the tortoise but never quite reaches the tortoise. The tortoise is the Achilles limit!

Isn’t the pure world of mathematics fun!

Let’s take another look at limits through a joke my math professor once told us.

An engineer, physicist, and mathematician were placed on one side of the room. A line was drawn on the other side. They were told they could only go halfway each time.

So the engineer whipped out a calculator and measuring tape. After a few measurements and calculation, he quickly crossed the room.

The physicist pulled out a slide rule and a yard stick. After a few measurements and scribbled calculations, she quickly crossed the room as well.

The mathematician…. well the mathematician has yet to arrive!

So again, we pulled out the LEGO figure to take a look at what’s going on.

First you place one figure at one end of the table. Now measure the table and go halfway.

Learning About Math Limits for Kids

Measure the table and go halfway again!

Learning About How Math Limits Work

As you can tell, if you only go halfway each time, you’ll never reach the end of the table.

The measurement of the table is the limit of the infinite series 1/2(table) + 1/4(table) + 1/8(table) + 1/16(table) + 1/32(table) and so on. Once you reach infinity, supposedly you’ll have reached the end of the table.

But not until then!

Hence our poor mathematician is trapped trying to get to the other side of the table.

Try again moving the mathematician 1/4 or 1/8 of the way each time. Does it change the limit or does the limit remain the length of the table?

How to Teach Limits: Hands-on Middle School Math. It's common to use graphs to explain how to teach limits. But when you homeschool, you can make learning a bit more hands-on. Click here to see how to bring this math concept alive

Written by Sara at Classically Homeschooling.

Limits is a fascinating and fun concept to explore with kids!

Check out these other math activities for homeschoolers!