Early Maths Fun

Written by Laura @one.wild.family.life

I am a home educating mum of two, my son, is a very visual and physical learner, he remembers things so much better if there is something more than a written work sheet, or if he can physically engage in the learning. He also is a storyteller and loves it when the world around him is encompassed in the story too. Because of this I try to create learning experiences that fit with his learning style. I love using resources from The Wooden Play Den with him – here are a few of our most played ‘learning’ games.

Dice games

One of the easiest ways to make sums fun has been the addition of the Maths Dice to our selection of resources. Just the inclusion of a dice brings my 5 year old joy! So far we have just kept it simple, throwing a sum, working out the sum – sometimes we practice mental maths, sometimes we practice writing the sum out too. We also have used the dice to make tens and ones and to then write out bigger numbers too.

Loose Parts

Our most valuable math resource by far! We have a selection of loose parts – TickIt treasures, yellow door hearts, gem stones even our building blocks and shapes! To be able to visualise maths problems has been a great learning process – everything from addition and subtraction, through to times tables, sharing equally, division, doubling, one more one less. Loads of maths can be visualised with the addition of loose parts.

Ladybird Stones

I am a massive fan of Yellow Door resources, and especially ones with significant longevity. I initially bought the stones for my younger daughter to help her with counting and place value, however they have been really popular with my son too. They are so tactile and again, the visualisation of numbers has been a great tool. One of our favourite games to play quickly is a simply guessing game, we turn them all upside down and guess which one is higher or lower – complete chance, but an opportunity for practicing writing too. We also used them for doubling, estimations and creating sums. To be able to visualise the numbers in a fun way has been so effective in our learning journey so far.

We would love to see your learning games and resources, and have a great hashtag to follow on Instagram #wpdhomelearning where you can get loads of inspiration, and share your own too.

Link to toys available in this blog

Ladybird Stones

Wooden Treasures

Maths Dice Game