Math Activities for Kids

Valentine Nonstandard Measurement Activity

January 28, 2019 By Terri Thompson

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

25+ Things to Count to 100

January 21, 2019 By Terri Thompson

When I was in elementary school, the 100th day passed with absolutely no fanfare.

That’s not the case these days.

Some schools go all out with parties and t-shirt decorating. We’ve never had to decorate t-shirts. Thank goodness.

But, we have received the “Please bring in 100 of one item for our 100th Day Celebration.” Eep. Help.

After I wiped the sweat off my brow and thought just a little bit, I had a ton of ideas. My daughter brought along a bag of cotton balls and I didn’t even have to go to the store. Easy-peasy.

To save you from panicking if you receive the same note, here are over 25 things to count to 100.

Here are over 25 everyday things to count to 100. They're all small, easy-to-find, and perfect to bring for the 100th day of school.

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.

Most of the items you’ll find on this list are everyday items. I’m sure there’s at least one or two things you already have at home.

If you do need to go out and purchase something, many of these items come in large packs so you won’t need to spend more than a few dollars.

25 Things to Count to 100

1. Puzzle pieces. Just grab a 100-piece puzzle. No counting needed!

2. Pony beads or any other larger bead

3. Cotton balls

4. Googly eyes

5. Pencils

6. Toothpicks

7. Crayons

8. Paper Clips

9. Cotton swabs

10. Pennies

11. Buttons

12. Stickers

13. Clothespins

14. Small bathroom cups

15. Rocks

16. Bottle Caps

17. Craft sticks

18. Glass florist gems

19. Mini erasers

20. Pom poms

21. Squares of paper. Just take a couple of pieces of construction paper and cut it into 100 squares.

22. LEGO bricks

23. Drinking straws

24. Pipe cleaners

25. Cap erasers

Food Items to Count to 100

Note: It’s likely that food items aren’t allowed at school. But, if you want to practice at home, these are good choices.

26. O-shaped cereal. But, don’t get the flavored kind because they can get sticky!

27. Popcorn kernels

28. Dried beans

29. Mini marshmallows

If your child brings home a note asking them to bring in small things to count to 100, don’t panic. You’ve got this. Easy-peasy.

My must have counting resources:

If you don’t already have some of these items at home, you can easily find them at Amazon. Here are some options for the next time you’re asked to bring 100 things to count to school:

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Fun Valentine Math Activities

January 17, 2019 By Terri Thompson

Adding with hearts. Measuring with hearts. Graphing with hearts.

There are so many fun ways to incorporate Valentine’s Day into your math activities.

I’ve gathered up some fun Valentine math activities for kids in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. You’ll definitely find something fun to do with your kids.

You'll love these fun Valentine math activities that are perfect for school and home. You'll find ideas for grades kindergarten through sixth.

No matter what your child is working on, from counting to addition to division, there’s a way to add a Valentine’s Day twist.

So, let’s get a little festive, indulge in all things hearts, and have some fun doing math.

Pre-K and Kindergarten Valentine Math Activities

Use candy hearts to practice graphing with this fun idea from Adventures in Mommydom. (Includes free printable)

This simple heart counting game from Preschool Toolkit is perfect for kids that are currently working on counting.

You can find another fun counting project at Play and Learn Everyday with this Valentine’s numbers and counting hearts activity.

Work with a ten frame with this fun Portable Valentine’s Ten Frame from Lalymom.

Count to 100 with this fun heart-themed Count to 100 Scavenger Hunt from Creekside Learning.

Practice making geometric shapes for Valentine’s Day with this geoboard activity from Little Bins for Little Hands.

First and Second Grade Valentine’s Day Math

Set up a Valentine’s Day math station to explore counting, addition, subtraction, tally marks, 3-D shapes and more. NurtureStore shows you how to set up a Valentine math station.

Play around with tangrams with this printable heart tangram from JDaniel4’s Mom.

Practice addition using beautiful red roses with this fun (and beautiful) math activity. You can find all the details at 3 Dinosaurs.

Measure using non-standard units with our fun Measuring with Hearts activity.

Little Bins for Little Hands also used non-standard units in this fun Candy Hearts Measuring activity.

Practice graphing with this fun hands-on Valentine’s idea from JDaniel4’s Mom.

Use candy hearts to practice addition with our fun Candy Heart Addition math activity.

Heal broken hearts with this fun Broken Hearts Number Bonds activity at Rainy Day Mum.

Practice addition with this printable heart-themed math mat from The Kindergarten Connection.

Compare numbers and practice greater than and less than with this fun idea from Planning Playtime.

Third Grade and Up

Learn about Möbius strips and use them to create hearts for Valentine’s Day in this project from What Do We Do All Day. This is a great project for older kids combining art and math.

Learn about the pattern of numbers called Pascal’s Triangle and create a Valentine’s Day project based off this concept with this activity from Teach Beside Me.

Practice division with a fun secret code game. Go to Royal Baloo to print out this fun Valentine’s Day Division Code Breakers activity.

Get out your hearts and have some fun doing these Valentine math activities.

My 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 kids?

Candy Heart Addition Math Activity

January 14, 2019 By Terri Thompson

Do you like candy hearts?

Some people love them. Some people love to hate them. Me, personally, I love them!

Even if you hate them, they’re a fun way to add a little Valentine’s twist to learning.

Grab a box of candy hearts and get ready to practice addition with this fun Valentine’s Day math activity, Candy Heart Addition.

Use a fun candy treat to practice math with Candy Heart Addition Valentine's Day Math Activity. It's fun way to practice adding!

The concept for this activity is really simple. We’re going to use candy hearts as a math manipulative to work on our addition skills.

How to set up:

You’ll need three heart doilies, some candy hearts, and a set of math problems.

Pull your addition problems from the group of math facts your child is currently working on. Or, write down some problems from a homework sheet. This is a great way to use a set of flashcards sent home from school.

Write your math problems on a few index cards if you don’t have flashcards.

Once you have your math problems ready, lay out the three doilies and a pile of candy hearts. That’s it. This activity is ready to go.

How to play Candy Heart Addition:

Grab an addition problem. Use candy hearts to put the correct amount on two of the doilies.

In the example above, we need to solve 4+1. We put four candy hearts on one doily and one candy heart on another doily.

Add the two numbers together and put the correct amount of candy hearts on the third doily.

Word through your pile of math problems using your candy heart manipulatives to solve each one.

Extend the fun:

You can use this activity to practice subtraction too. It’s not just an addition activity. Use this activity to supplement whatever your child needs to work on.

Make the activity a little harder. Eliminate the third doily and do the math without the manipulatives.

This activity is a nice way to introduce the concept of addition. Demonstrate how you can count the candy hearts on the first two doilies to find the answer to the equation.

Grab your candy hearts for this fun Valentine’s Day math activity. Candy Heart Addition is a lot of fun – and you don’t have to eat them if you don’t want to!

Math resources you’ll love

We love using games to practice our math. Here are some great ones you’ll love playing.

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

One Fish Two Fish Number Match

January 7, 2019 By Terri Thompson

I haven’t met too many kids who don’t like Dr. Seuss books. My girls definitely love them.

It’s hard to choose a favorite, but One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is definitely on the top of the list.

It’s very nonsensical, but great for new readers.

The book is also so much fun for a read aloud, and would work great paired up with a fun math activity, like this One Fish Two Fish Number Match Game.

This One Fish Two Fish number match activity is a fun way to practice numbers and counting. It's a fun math game for preschool and kindergarten.

This game is simple to prep and it’s fun math practice for your preschoolers and kindergartners.

Grab your copy of the book and let’s get started making our One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish number match activity!

Supplies Needed:

Red Construction Paper
Blue Construction Paper
Scissors
Black Marker

How to make your One Fish Two Fish number match game:

You will need 10 red fish and 10 blue fish. You should be able to get at least 10 fish from each piece of construction paper.

To make it more simple, create a simple template for yourself. Cut out one fish and trace it to make the rest of your fish.

Once you have your fish cut out, write the numbers 1 through 10 on your red fish. Use dots to represent each of the numbers on your blue fish.

Ways to play:

Mix up your blue fish, then mix up your red fish. Have your child match each number fish to its corresponding dot fish.

Play a memory game. Flip over each of the fish. Take turns choosing fish. Turn over one blue fish and one red fish. Do they match? If not, try again.

Use the number fish to count small manipulatives (such as mini erasers, coins, or pieces of cereal). Choose a number fish, then count out the correct number of item.

Count the dots on the blue fish and say the number out loud.

Can you think of other ways to play this One Fish Two Fish number match activity?

This game also works well as a simple busy bag. Slip your fish in a basket or bag and it’s ready to play anytime your child needs some number practice.

One Fish Two Fish Number Match is easy to prep and fun to play. It’s a great way to practice number and will probably inspire many readings of the book.

If you liked this post, you may also like one of these math games:

Skip Counting with the Cat in the Hat

Wacky Mixed-Up Hundred Chart

Making 10 with Green Eggs and Ham

Apple Counting Rocks

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Size Sorting Activity at Inspiration Laboratories

Fun hands-on math resources

When we practice math at home, we love to play games. These games are so much fun and a great hands-on activity. Plus, it’s a great way to combine a family activity with learning. Check out some of these awesome math games below:

Math Activities for Kids

Valentine Nonstandard Measurement Activity

What is measuring with nonstandard units?