Creative Family Fun

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Math Activities for Kids

Green Eggs and Ham Addition Match Game

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We’ve got a few books at our house that have the tatters that only a well-loved book can get.

Green Eggs and Ham is one of those books.

We always have great fun reading it and even more fun doing activities inspired by the book, like this Green Eggs and Ham addition match activity to work on math facts.

Practice your adding to ten addition facts with this fun Green Eggs and Ham Addition Match game perfect for elementary kids.

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This game was very easy and didn’t take too much time to make. Involve the kids and have them help put it together. Working together makes it go quicker!

Supplies Needed:

2 sheets green construction paper
Black marker
Scissors

How to make this Green Eggs and Ham Addition Match Game

Take each piece of paper and fold it in half. Fold in half again so that you have a simple accordion fold with four sections. This will help with the size for your ham and eggs.

You’ll want 11 ham shapes on one piece of paper and 11 egg shapes on the other piece of paper. So, you’ll have 3 shapes on each folded section of paper.

Draw simple ham and egg shapes inspired by the book.

To make this easier, I drew one ham shape, and cut it out. Then, I traced it ten more times. I did the same for the egg shape.

As you can see in the picture above, I made super-simple shapes. There’s no need to make it complicated.

Trace each shape with your black marker and then cut out all the shapes. Recruit the kids for this step. They’ll love to help!

Once you have all the shapes cut out. Write the number 0 – 10 on the egg shapes and again on the ham shapes.

The game is ready to play. It’s time to have fun making 10.

How to play the Green Eggs and Ham Addition Match game

Spread out the egg and ham pieces. Match one egg and one ham so that when you add the two numbers together, you’ll get 10.

Two-player version: Turn all the pieces face down and play like a memory game. But, instead of matching the two numbers, you’ll want to turn over two number that equal 10.

You may also like one of these Dr. Seuss math games:

One Fish Two Fish Number Match

Wacky Mixed Up Hundred Chart

Cat in the Hat Skip Counting Puzzle

Dr. Seuss Patterning Math Activity for Kids at Little Bins for Little Hands

Pair this activity with a book

This fun math game is perfect to pair with a good book. Grab a copy of Green Eggs and Ham and one of these other fun Dr. Seuss books.

Do more activities with your family!

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Cat in the Hat Skip Counting Puzzle

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Do you love Dr. Seuss books?

We do! That’s why we’re going to use our favorites for some fun Dr. Seuss math games.

This fun Cat in the Hat Skip Counting Puzzle is a great way to practice counting. 

Practice skip counting by tens with this fun Cat in the Hat Skip Counting Puzzle inspired by one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

We made this puzzle to practice skip counting by tens, but you can do anything that your child needs to work on.

Try skip counting by fives or two. Or maybe your child is still counting by ones. This versatile puzzle can work for any counting.

Supplies Needed:

1 piece each of red, blue, and white construction paper
Black permanent marker
Scissors
Laminator (optional)

How to make your Cat in the Hat Skip Counting Puzzle

Start by sketching a tall – and slightly crooked – hat on your white piece of paper. Take your inspiration from the pages of The Cat in the Hat. It doesn’t have to be a perfect replica!

Cut out your hat and trace it on both the red and the blue pieces of paper. Cut out the red hat.

Your blue piece of paper is your puzzle board, so don’t cut out that hat. Instead, trace your pencil lines with the black marker.

Add your stripes to your white and red hats. You will need 10 stripes on each hat. Use a ruler and compare the hats to make the stripes as similar as possible so you can alternate the colors. Cut apart each of your stripes.

Next, use your blue puzzle board to alternate the stripes on the hat. Starting at the top strip, write your numbers (skip counting by 10) in order from 10 through 100.

If you are worried about durability, run your puzzle board and puzzle pieces through a laminator.

Note: If you are making this game for a classroom, you will have enough stripes for 2 puzzles. You’ll just need a 2nd sheet of blue paper to make another puzzle board.

Practice skip counting by tens with this fun DIY math puzzle inspired by The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. It is such a fun math game.

How to play:

Playing the game is super-easy. Just mix up the strips and have your child complete their puzzle by putting the stripes in order. That’s it!

This Cat in the Hat Skip Counting Puzzle is a fun and simple way to practice counting by tens – or any other set of skip counting!

You may also like one of these Dr. Seuss math activities:

Making 10 With Green Eggs and Ham

One Fish Two Fish Number Match

Wacky Mixed-Up Hundred Chart

Dr. Seuss Inspired Math Activities at There’s Just One Mommy

Cat in the Hat books

This Cat in the Hat math game is a perfect time to combine an activity with a book. So, grab a copy of The Cat in the Hat or another book featuring this fun character!

Do you want to do more activities with your family?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Addition War Card Game

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One of my favorite tools for practicing math with my kids is a simple deck of playing cards.  There are so many fun things you can do!

You can count, compare numbers, subtract, or even multiply.

Today, we’re going to practice our addition skills with a few fun games of Addition War.

Practice addition with a buddy when you play this easy addition card game, Addition War. It's such a fun way to practice math!

There are so many other fun ways to practice math with playing cards, For example, you can start with the basics, like this greater than or less than activity.

Or, you can practice harder math like this 3-digit addition activity.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

How to set up your game of Addition War

You will need two people to play Addition War, no more and no less, and a deck of playing cards. Play with a friend or play with a parent.

Before beginning, you will want to pull all the jokers, jacks, queens, and kings from the deck.

Shuffle the cards and deal the entire deck to both players. Each player should have an equal amount of cards.

Now, it’s time to play.

How to play this addition card game

This game is similar to the classic card game War, but with a few twists. I’ve simplified the rules and incorporated addition into the game.

To start each player will turn over the top two cards in their stack and lay them side by side. Then, each player will add their two cards together.

The player with the largest sum gets all four cards. Put them in a discard pile. Each player will have their own discard pile.

Keep playing until the two piles of cards are gone.

After all the cards have been played, each player will count the cards in their discard pile. The player with the most cards wins.

What if the sums of both players cards are equal?

If the players’ cards are equal, leave them on the table and turn over the next two cards in the stacks and lay them on top of the first pair of cards.

The player who has the highest sum of their top two cards will take all eight of the cards.

Fun variations of Addition War

You can make the game a little harder by leaving the kings, queens, and jacks in the deck. When adding your cards together, each jack would equal 11, queens are 12, and kings are 13.

If you’re working on adding more than 2 numbers together, each player can turn over 3, 4, or even 5 cards at a time. The game will go quicker, but it will still be fun.

Finally, you can also play this game using multiplication. Instead of adding the two cards together, multiply them!

You may also like one of these fun math activities:

Subtraction with Loose Parts Math Activity

Domino Addition

Plus One Minus One Card Game

Addition Game with UNO Cards at Planning Playtime

Our favorite math resources:

When we practice math at home, we love to play games! If you want a few more games other than your playing cards, here are some I recommend:

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Paper Plate Multiplication Practice Activity

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We’ve now entered the world of multiplication facts with my youngest daughter. And, even though it’s my second time around this block, I’m still looking for new and fun ways to help her practice.

I think I found a winner with this Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They’re fun, colorful, and perhaps most importantly, my daughter loves them.

Awesome!

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed:

2 paper plates (for each set of multiplication facts)
Craft Paint
Scissors
Glue
Black marker

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

How to make your Paper Plate Multiplication Activity

Grab your craft paint and completely paint the top of one of your paper plates. Set aside and let it dry.

Note: If you’re short on time, this step of the process can be skipped. I love the color and think it makes the activity much more fun and colorful. But, you can certainly leave both of your plates white.

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

Once your paint is dry, flip your plate over and divide the edge into 13 sections. (For 2 x 0 all the way through to 2 x 12)

Use your scissors and cut each section from the edge of the plate to the first dividing line.

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

Flip your plate back over and write your multiplication facts on your cut sections.

Write one math fact per section. Start with your times zero fact and write your facts in order all around the circle.

In the center of your plate write a number representing which set of multiplication facts are on your plate.

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

Next, take your 2nd plate and apply glue to the center section. Place your colorful plate on top of the second plate and glue them together. Press down for awhile and let dry before your continue.

Note: Do not apply glue to the textured edge section of your plate! You need your edges to remain separate.

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

Once your glue is dry, flip up each of your sections and write the answer underneath.

That’s it! Your paper plate multiplication practice wheel is ready to use!

Fun ways to use your Paper Plate Multiplication Practice Tools

The easiest way to use this (and my daughter’s favorite) is to pick it up and use it to quiz your self on multiplication facts. You can check yourself by peeking under the flap.

These are also great to use with with pairs. One child can use their paper plates to quiz their partner.

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

These multiplication facts are so easy to take on the go. If you’re short on time and need to take some school work with you to sports practice, a waiting room, the backseat of the car, etc., just grab one of your multiplication paper plates. There are no small parts to lose.

How would you use one of these paper plate multiplication facts?

Have fun practicing your multiplication facts with this simple Paper Plate Multiplication Activity. They're easy to make and make times tables fun.

You may also like one of these math activities:

Three Digit Addition with Playing Cards

Practice Multiplication with Jelly Bean Arrays

Hands-On Perimeter Activity: Perimeter Lab

Multiplication Checkers at Teach Beside Me

Our Favorite Math Resources

One of our favorite ways to practice math at home is with a fun game. Here are some awesome math games that I know you’ll love!

Do more activities with your kids:

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Valentine Nonstandard Measurement Activity

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A couple of weeks ago, I walked into a craft store. I walked out with a couple of different sizes of heart doilies (and – ahem- several other things).

I had an idea for a Valentine’s reading game, but that was it. What else could I use them for?

Measuring, of course!

Grab those heart doilies and find a few things to measure. We’re going to have fun with a Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity.

Use heart doilies for a fun hands-on way to practice measuring with this fun Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity for kids.

What is measuring with nonstandard units?

Most of the measuring we do is with standard units, such as inches, feet, and centimeters. But, before we start using these standard units, the concept of measurement is introduced with nonstandard units. This is anything that is used to show a comparison in size. In this Valentine nonstandard measurement activity, we’re going to use small heart doilies.

Use heart doilies for a fun hands-on way to practice measuring with this fun Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity for kids.

Valentine Nonstandard Measurement

This activity is so simple and requires no set-up. All you need is a package of small heart doilies. The doilies stick together, so make sure to pull them all apart before beginning.

You can set up the learning by asking a simple question: How can we measure using these hearts?

Encourage your kids to line the hearts up to see how long different things are.

You can measure anything that is larger than the heart doily.

Measure body parts, like feet, arm length, or even full body length.

Or you can measure furniture.

Measure the length of a room.

Or measure your toys.

Use heart doilies for a fun hands-on way to practice measuring with this fun Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity for kids.

Extend the fun

Add more depth to this activity by recording your measurements.

Write down the object and how long it was.

When you’re done, look at your data. Which item was biggest? Which was smallest? Order everything from smallest to largest.

Talk through your data and make observations.

Measure something smaller than our heart. 

For example, take a paperclip. How many paperclips do you need to be the same length as the heart?

Find some other smaller objects you can use to measure your heart doily.

Use heart doilies for a fun hands-on way to practice measuring with this fun Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity for kids.

Translate your nonstandard units into standard units. 

This is a great way to extend the fun for kids who have moved beyond simply measuring with nonstandard units.

First, measure one heart and record the measurement.

Next, take your measurement recordings. If my book is four hearts long, how many inches is it?

It’s time to use your addition skills, or multiplication skills, to find out.

Our hearts were 3.25 inches. Get out your calculator if you need to, or round down to 3 inches to make the calculations easier.

Use heart doilies for a fun hands-on way to practice measuring with this fun Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity for kids.

Measuring with nonstandard units is always a fun activity and it was a great way to use those extra heart doilies.

Use heart doilies for a fun hands-on way to practice measuring with this fun Valentine Nonstandard Measurement activity for kids.

You may also like one of these math activities:

Fun Valentine Math Activities for Kids

Backyard Measurement Scavenger Hunt

Fun Nonstandard Measurement Games

Ruler Game – Measuring in Farm Units at JDaniel4’s Mom

Our favorite math resources:

We love using games to practice our math. It definitely makes learning fun. Here are some great ones you’ll love playing.

Do you want to do more activities with your family?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.