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Toy Theater is your source for free educational games specially designed for elementary-aged students. It's available on all desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices, ensuring learning is never out of reach. If you are a fan of our site, we encourage you to share Toy Theater on your social media or website.

Explore Toy Theater

Here's a sneak peek into what Toy Theater has in store:

Math Games: Ranging from counting and numeral recognition to division and telling time, there's a vast assortment of interactive math games.

Language Arts: Students can work on spelling, letter recognition, and even practice reading with online books.

Art and Music : From teaching students to play simple songs on a keyboard to exploring symmetry via art games, the platform fosters creativity alongside learning.

Puzzles and Games: Ideal for early finishers or indoor recess, their online educational puzzles and games promise fun-filled learning.

Teacher Tools: Need a fun timer or a spinner? Or perhaps a simple way to evaluate basic math skills? Their virtual teacher tools have got you covered.

Whether you project Toy Theater games and interactive tools on your smartboard for the whole class to see or use them during small group work, you're sure to love them!

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Toy Theater | Fun Online Educational Games for Kids

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Make learning a blast! Toy Theater is chock full of interactive online art, reading & math games for kids. Designed with the needs of kindergarten through third grade classrooms in mind, these free games are trusted by teachers around the world to provide real educational value.

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Fuzz Bugs Counting Sorting and Comparing Game

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Fuzz Bugs Counting Sorting and Comparing Game

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ABCya! * Fuzz Bugs - Counting, Sorting, & Comparing Game for Kids

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Fuzz Bugs is fun activity for Pre K & Kindergarten children to practice counting, sorting, and comparing.

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This website by common sense media features an array of open-ended math activities.

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An array of open-ended math activities. Read Common Sense Media's Math Cats review, age rating, and parents guide.

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You need to be logged in to view this content. Please register here or log in here.

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Sea Animals and Numbers for Junior Infants and Senior Infants

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Sea Animals and Numbers for Junior Infants and Senior Infants

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Explorers Maths Lesson Plan and Worksheet - Sea Animals and Numbers for Junior Infants and Senior Infants

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The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

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Sorting and Matching Games | Basic Math for Kindergarten | Kids Academy

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How To Sort Objects for Kids | Sorting & Matching Games for Children | Kids Academy

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5 fun and educational early years maths activities | Early Years Inspiration #1

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Learn to Count with fun Counting Games for KS1 Children

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Free, interactive, learning to count games for 5 to 7 year olds involve numbers from 1 to 100.

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Videos showing good practice in numeracy in Irish primary schools by PDST Numeracy. The video looks at activities in relationships and operations using Ready, Set, Go - Maths programme.

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PDST Numeracy - Primary - RelationshipsAndOperations

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This is "RelationshipsAndOperations" by on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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This is “Sorting” by Oide on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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A useful resource for Christmas time which includes a range of great number activities which are aimed at Year 1 pupils (5 - 6 years). It can be used either by individuals or on an interactive whiteboard.

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A useful resource for Christmas time which includes a range of great number activities which are aimed at Year 1 pupils (5 - 6 years). It can be used either by individuals or on an interactive whiteboard.

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A headline story is the setting for a problem without the actual problem; it is a set of information presented in words or pictures. Pupils are challenged to create some maths questions, which could be posed and solved, based on the information presented.
By creating their own questions, children are using language in a meaningful context at their own level. The questions pupils create can be very revealing and could be a useful assessment tool. These activities would also be very practical in the multi-grade setting as the children are all working at their own level with just one stimulus. Through effective questioning, the teacher can either support or extend pupils’ thinking!
Take a look at these headline stories. What questions can you come up with? Choose your favourite question to answer.

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Boys and girls from 6-8 years old have been observing the geometrycal shapes can be found in fruits and plants.
The first step was to bring a lot of different fruits to class. We cut them and found many interesting things:

THIS IS AN APPLE

INSIDE THE APPLE WE CAN FIND A FIVE POINTS STAR. IT ALWAYS APPEARS.

FROM OUTSIDE, THE POMEGRANATE SEEMS A SPHERE WITH A CROWN ON TOP.

AND INSIDE THEY LOOK LIKE FLOWERS AND STARS.

ORANGES HAVE A SPHERED SHAPE.

INSIDE THEY HAVE MANY TRIANGLES.

IN THE MANDARIN THERE IS A SPHERE.

INSIDE THEY LOOK LIKE BIKE SPOKES.

IN GRAPES WE FOUND STARS AND FIVE POINTS STARS.

KIWIS LOOK LIKE THE SUN.

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Boys and girls from 6-8 years old have been observing the geometrycal shapes can be found in fruits and plants. The first step was to bring a lot of different fruits to class. We cut them and found many interesting things: THIS IS AN APPLE INSIDE THE APPLE WE CAN FIND A FIVE POINTS STAR.

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2D and 3D shapes - KS1 Maths - BBC Bitesize

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KS1 Maths 2D and 3D shapes learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers.

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Learn basic flat and solid shapes with this fun math game.

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Learn about shape and color patterns of by completing trains of blocks.

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TheLearningStation - Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes

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The 7 Days of the Week Song ♫ 7 Days of the Week ♫ Kids Songs by The Learning Station

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This is a game for two players and a simple calculator.

Annie and Ben are playing. Annie puts her secret number into the calculator without showing Ben.

Annie then asks Ben, "What do you want to add?"

Ben tells Annie the number he wants to add. "I want to add four."

Annie presses the 'add' button and then the four button. The calculator now shows '$4$'. Annie gives the calculator to Ben.

Ben presses the 'equals' button and the calculator gives the answer '$10$'.

What was Annie's secret number?
How do you know?
You could play this with a friend. If you work out your friend's secret number correctly, it is your turn to put in a secret number of your own. You could score a point for every one you get right.

A multiplication version of the game might go like this:

Charlie puts in a secret number and asks Dana, "What do you want to multiply it by?"

Dana replies, "Multiply it by $5$."

Charlie puts in 'times' and '$5$' and hands the calculator to Dana.

When Dana presses the 'equals' button the calculator shows '$35$'.

Dana now has to work out Charlie's secret number. What was it?
How do you know?

Try playing this version with your friend too!

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This is a game for two players and a simple calculator. Annie and Ben are playing. Annie puts her secret number into the calculator without showing Ben. Annie then asks Ben, "What do you want to add?" Ben tells Annie the number he wants to add. "I want to add four."

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In a class there are 20 students. They are wearing jerseys of 3 different colours - blue, green, and red.

The class was lined up in a way that the pattern of jerseys was:
blue, blue, green, green, red, blue, blue, green, green, red...

What colour jersey is the last child wearing?
How many students are wearing a red jersey?

Specific Learning Outcomes

describe and continue a repeating and sequential patterns

draw a picture or use equipment to solve a problem

Description of Mathematics

This problem involves recognising and continuing a 5 member repeating and sequential pattern. It also introduces the concept of multiples of 5 as every fifth child is wearing a red jumper. Students have to recognise the given pattern and arrange the 20 people in the given pattern to answer the questions.

Required Resource Materials

Problem

In a class there are 20 students. They are wearing jerseys of 3 different colours - blue, green, and red. The class was lined up in a way that the pattern of jerseys was:

blue, blue, green, green, red, blue, blue, green, green, red...

What colour jersey is the last child wearing?
How many students are wearing a red jersey?

Teaching Sequence

1. Using students in your class form a repeating pattern using shoe colour (eg., white, brown, white, brown).

2. Without telling the students what pattern you are using ask the students to join the line if they think that they could be the 5th member of the pattern.

3. Ask them to tell you why they have joined the line. (Remember that they may have a valid reason even if it is different to yours.)

4. Repeat the process to see if anyone else could become the 5th member of the pattern.

5. Pose the problem to the class. Check that the students understand that they are finding out two things: the 20th person and how many are wearing red jumpers

6. As the students work on the problem ask them to explain the strategy that they are using.

7. Share solutions.

Extension to the problem

Ask the students to make up repeating patterns using members of the class.

Solution

The students can do the problem mechanically by writing down a table as below.
To answer the questions in the problem, students need to write the numbers 1-20 and arrange the counters for jerseys in the given pattern.

On the other hand, the students might notice that the pattern repeats itself every five students. So the first, sixth, eleventh and so on students have blue jumpers. Using this idea all the questions can be answered.

The last child is wearing a red jersey because 20 = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5.
There are 4 red jerseys and they are worn by the students at 5, 10, 15 and 20.

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In a class there are 20 students. They are wearing jerseys of 3 different colours - blue, green, and red. The class was lined up in a way that the pattern of jerseys was:blue, blue, green, green, red, blue, blue, green, green, red...

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This is a game for two players. To play, you'll need two dice, a paper version of the drainpipe (in colour or black and white) and a counter to be the spider.

Start by playing with one dice.

Decide who is the sunshine and who is the rain. Take it in turns to throw the dice and move the spider that number of spaces up (sunshine) or down (rain).

If the spider gets right to the top of the pipe, sunshine wins. If it gets to the bottom, rain wins.

Next, try a more interesting version of the game. This time, use two dice. In this game, the player must land exactly on the end of the drain pipe to win. For each turn decide which dice number to use.

You could make up your own version of the game, and perhaps send in your ideas to us so that other children can try them out. What makes the game good to play?

Teacher resources for this activity can be found here.

Printable NRICH Roadshow resource and spider counters: Spider1.pdf or Spider2.pdf

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This is a game for two players. To play, you'll need two dice, a paper version of the drainpipe (in colour or black and white) and a counter to be the spider. Start by playing with one dice. Decide who is the sunshine and who is the rain.

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What is number sense?

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This article explores the basic foundations of number sense and outlines relevant research in this area. It updates Jenni Way's article Number Sense Series: Developing Early Number Sense.

What is number sense?
The term "number sense" was coined in the late 80s and early 90s and gained currency during the early days of the National Curriculum as something that we hoped children would achieve by the end of their primary schooling. In Jenni Way's original article (2001), Bobis' definition is highlighted, suggesting that it referred to "a well organised conceptual framework of number information that enables a person to understand numbers and number relationships and to solve mathematical problems that are not bound by traditional algorithms" (Bobis, 1996). Over the last few years in conjunction with my research work in Hungary and the attendant comparative work that I have been engaging in with Judy Sayers and Paul Andrews, I have been exploring some more recent developments in the research into this area.

What does the research tell us?
The research into the development of number sense is divided into two camps. The first of these is concerned with the development of number sense in young children whereas the second is focused on the number sense that people require to function well in the world. In the context of this article, I will limit my consideration to the work on number sense and its development in young children.

In this context, no two researchers in the field accept the same definition but a trawl of recent research yielded a number of common elements and Paul, Judy and I ( Andrews, Sayers and Back, 2013) summarised seven common threads that were evident in studies drawn from a number of different cultures. These were:

1. An awareness of the relationship between number and quantity
2. An understanding of number symbols, vocabulary and meaning
3. The ability to engage in systematic counting, including notions of cardinality and ordinality
4. An awareness of magnitude and comparisons between different magnitudes
5. An understanding of different representations of number
6. Competence with simple mathematical operations
7. An awareness of number patterns including recognising missing numbers

These seven ideas seem to capture the essence of what is being referred to as 'number sense'.

Having developed ideas of the concept from research, how can we, as teachers, help to support its development in our learners? There is no doubt that it is not something that children have innately but rather something which they can develop over time. As Sood and Jitendra (2007) say:

'Number sense develops gradually over time as a result of exploring numbers, visualising them in a variety of contexts, and relating them in ways that are not limited by traditional algorithms' (p.146)

For me the ways in which it can be supported need to be based on giving learners opportunities to make sense of, and reason about, number. They will need to be given reasons to communicate their ideas about arithmetic; to develop fluent recall of key facts and be able to apply them to novel contexts; to have easy access to a range of appropriate and useful representations; to be able to apply ideas to new concepts and to solving problems.

What teaching strategies promote early number sense?
A number of strategies that help to support developing number sense are described by Tsao and Lin (2012). They suggest that children need opportunities to:

1. Work with concrete materials and familiar ideas
2. Compose and recompose different arrangements and representations of number
3. Discuss and share their discoveries and solutions
4. Investigate the realistic uses of number in their everyday world
5. Explore number patterns and relationships
6. Create alternative methods of calculation and estimation
7. Solve realistic problems using a variety of approaches
8. Calculate for a purpose rather than just for the sake of calculating
9. Gather, organise, display and interpret quantitative data
10. Measure and estimate measure for a purpose
11. Explore very large numbers and their representations including using number lines

Quite a list! Yet if we really thought about every aspect of these opportunities in relation to every incremental step on the way to the development of number sense, there is no doubt that our learners would develop deeper and richer understandings of number. In the space of this article, I should like to draw your attention to the key ones that are particularly relevant to supporting young children in developing their understanding of numbers under twenty and especially numbers under ten.

1. Work with concrete materials and familiar ideas
To begin with, early number activities are best done with moveable objects such as counters, blocks and small toys. Most children will need the concrete experience of physically manipulating groups of objects into sub-groups and combining small groups to make a larger group. After these essential experiences more static materials such as 'dot cards' become very useful.

2. Compose and recompose different arrangements and representations of number
By simply presenting objects (such as collections of concrete objects, stamps on a flashcard, buttons sewn onto a card, Rawlplugs in linked groups and so on) in various arrangements, different mental strategies can be prompted. For example, showing six stamps in a cluster of four and a pair prompts the combination of 'four and two makes six'. If the four is not subitised, it may be seen as 'two and two and two makes six'. This arrangement is obviously a little more complex than two groups of three. So different arrangements will prompt different strategies, and these strategies will vary from person to person, from learner to learner. Asking children to find all the dominoes in a six spot set with 6 spots on will encourage them to consider all the ways in which 6 can be partitioned into two sets and build up their understanding of the number bonds for six.

3. Discuss and share their discoveries and solutions
If mental strategies such as these are to be encouraged (and counting discouraged) then an element of speed is necessary. Seeing the objects for only a few seconds challenges the mind to find strategies other than counting. It is also important to have children reflect on and share their strategies. This is helpful in three ways:

verbalising a strategy brings the strategy to a conscious level and allows the person to learn about their own thinking;

it provides other children with the opportunity to pick up new strategies;

the teacher can assess the type of thinking being used and adjust the type of arrangement, level of difficulty or speed of presentation accordingly.

Dot cards are simply cards with dot stickers of a single colour stuck on one side. (However, any markings can be used. Self-inking stamps are fast when making a lot of cards). The important factors in the design of the cards are the number of dots and the arrangement of these dots. The various combinations of these factors determine the mathematical structure of each card, and hence the types of number relations and mental strategies prompted by them.

Consider each of the following arrangements of dots before reading further. What mental strategies are likely to be prompted by each card? What order would you place them in according to level of difficulty?

A B C D E

Card A is the classic symmetrical dice and playing card arrangement of five and so is often instantly recognised without engaging other mental strategies. It is perhaps the easiest arrangement of five to deal with.

Card B presents clear sub-groups of two and three, each of which can be instantly recognised. With practice, the number fact of 'two and three makes five' can be recalled almost instantly.

Card C: A linear arrangement is the one most likely to prompt counting. However, many people will mentally separate the dots into groups of two and three, as in the previous card. Other strategies such as seeing two then counting '3, 4, 5' might also be used.

Card D could be called a random arrangement, though in reality it has been quite deliberately organised to prompt the mental activity of sub-grouping. There are a variety of ways to form the sub-groups, with no prompt in any particular direction, so this card could be considered to be the most difficult one in the set.

Card E shows another sub-group arrangement that encourages the use (or discovery) of the 'four and one makes five' number relation.

Obviously, using fewer than five dots would develop the most basic number sense skills, and using more than five dots would provide opportunities for more advanced strategies. However, it is probably not useful to use more than ten dots. (See this linked article of developing a 'sense of ten' and 'place value readiness'). Cards such as these can be shown briefly to children, then the children can be asked how many dots they saw. The children should be asked to explain how they perceived the arrangement, and hence what strategies they used.

4. Investigate the realistic uses of number in their everyday world
In my Hungarian research I followed the mathematical development of a class of children through the first years of their formal schooling and was particularly struck by the careful grounding they were given in the foundations of arithmetic. When they started school one week was devoted to each of the numbers under ten in turn and they looked for examples of it in their everyday world as well in the classroom and school context. So for the number 3 they would have looked for items that had aspects of 3 associated with them such as tricycles or three legged stools. They would have explored stories with three in them such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Billy Goats Gruff or the Three Little Pigs. They would have talked about those who were in families with three children in them, those who had three siblings or families with three in the house. They would have explored children aged three years and buses and houses with the number 3. Coming third in a queue or a race would have been connected to the notion and they would have made a special point of considering things that happen at 3 o'clock. This deep and thorough investigation of numbers seems to support the children's developing sense of the number and we could gain from building it into the experiences we offer our young learners.

Where do I go from here?
The article Place Value: The Ten-ness of Ten follows on from this one. It outlines how having a strong 'sense of ten' lays foundations for understanding place value and carrying out mental calculations. For activities to try in the classroom, see our article How Can I Support the Development of Early Number Sense and Place Value? as well as our Number Sense and Place Value Feature.

References
Andrews, P., Sayers, J. & Back, J. (2013) The development of foundational number sense in England and Hungary: a case study comparison. Conference Proceedings: CERME 2013.
Bobis, J. (1996). Visualisation and the development of number sense with kindergarten children. In Mulligan, J. & Mitchelmore, M. (Eds.) Children's Number Learning : A Research Monograph of the Mathematics Education Group of Australasia and the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers. Adelaide: AAMT.
Gelman, R. & Gallistel, C. (1978). The Child's Understanding of Number. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Sood, S., & Jitendra, A. K. (2007). A Comparative Analysis of Number Sense
Instruction in Reform-Based and Traditional Mathematics Textbooks. Journal of
Special Education, 41(3), 145-157.
Tsao, Y.L. & Lin, Y. C. (2012) Elementary School Teachers' Understanding: Towards the Related Knowledge of Number Sense. US - China Education Review B1. (p 17 - 30) davidpublishing.com.

Here is a PDF version of this article.

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This article explores the basic foundations of number sense and outlines relevant research in this area.

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Math Data Game for Kids

Learn about tables, charts, graphs, frequency and more with this math data game for kids.

Survey different children and find out their favorite hobby, is it football, dancing, reading or painting? Make a frequency table by recording the data and tallying the results into totals. Turn you chart into a bar graph, analyze the results and enjoy this fun math game that's perfect for kids.

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Math Data Game for Kids - Learn about Tables, Charts, Graph, Frequency

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Math Data Game for Kids Learn about tables, charts, graphs, frequency and more with this math data game for kids. Survey different children and find out their favorite hobby, is it football, dancing, reading or painting? Make a frequency table by recording the data and tallying the results into totals.

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Please note: Activities marked with * were created to support distance learning

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Please note: Activities marked with * were created to support distance learning

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Faces & Figures/ Aghaideanna & Uimhreacha

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Faces & Figures/ Aghaideanna & Uimhreacha

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"Do you know what my worst lesson is? It's maths...but I really like doing maths when it's outdoors!"

"My favourite bit this week was the maths trail because it's outside and you get to do more things."

The above sentiments were expressed by children, who had just completed a maths trail as part of their school's mathematics week.

Take a walk on the wild side and create a maths trail. A trail can take many different forms - use our guidance below to form your own trail for your class.

Why do them?

Encourages mathematical thinking and talking

Encourages problem solving

The emphasis is on the journey through a problem rather than the answer

Facilitates group work and working collaboratively together

Active learners - the learning is in the doing!

Familiarises children with their surroundings

Trails emphasise the practical application of maths to the world around them

Maths is linked to everything in society -helps children make this link

Allows children to take responsibility for learning

There are numerous mathematically rich examples, living and non-living, that can be found in your surrounding environment, such as the school playground, the local shopping centre, the local park, the local sports ground, the city museum/art gallery, to name a few.

Considerations:

What element of maths is the trail on?

—A trail can be devised for each strand to introduce a topic or reinforce learning

It is time consuming but worthwhile - they will not go 'out-of-date'!

—Safety if it takes you outside the school

—Who is it for? Ages..

—Who is designing it?

—Where? Classroom/yard..

—Any equipment needed?

—Any helpers needed?

Time/weather dependent?

Types of trails:

Senses trail:

— One child is blindfolded and can be:

given directions - left, right, 5 steps, 1 metre (link with spatial awareness)

identify shapes - how many corners, straight edges, etc...

Picture trail:

Using the iPods/school camera to take a picture of your answer

Using a picture to find information /certain location

Children design a trail using pictures they take

Homework trails:
Make it fun!
Ask pupils to take note of various elements they encounter every day. What shapes are they? How many of them do you see?

Road signs, traffic lights (how long does it stay on green?)

—Buildings/houses on their route home

—Distance / time taken to get home

IT and the internet:
A world of information at their finger tips!

Finding information on certain websites

Using the keyboard - what happens when you press F1? Location of keys...

Lunchtime Trails

Have different questions/brainteasers showing in the yard. (stuck on a window from the inside)

Have a box for children to post their answers in and have a weekly winner!

Tips for Success:

Don't make it too long.

Produce an attractive layout to stimulate interest.

Include a wide variety of activities to maintain enjoyment and enthusiasm.

Have clear sections.

Don't make it a race.

Include both open and closed tasks and vary the level of difficulty to provide for the full age and ability range

Creating your own Maths Trail

We recommend introducing children to math trails by having them explore, in small groups, 4-5 areas of interest within their own classroom. Writing a maths question for the area they are in. Following several of these classroom explorations and follow-up class discussions, children could venture outside to create maths questions at 4-5 named locations. These questions can then be discussed and developed into your very own maths trail.

Maths trails can be designed to link strands and strand units of the mathematics curriculum. The mathematics curriculum can also be linked and integrated with other subject areas such as PE, geography, history and science, using a topic-based trail.

Both students and teachers can create maths trails that target a range of mathematical understandings. Specifically, maths trails can be:

Student-generated, designed for their grade-level peers or younger peers to undertake;

Teacher-generated, which are trialled and modified by children to produce a new, improved math trail;

Teacher-generated, designed for children and their families to explore in their school surroundings, their home, or their local environment;

Teacher-generated, designed for their teaching peers to trial, improve, and implement.

It is good to have a range of question starting points. Click on your relevant class below to see some examples of age related questions.
Examples of Maths Trails:
A student-generated math trail, The Easter Trail. It was created by a class of 7-year-old children, with some teacher support, for a parent/child activity day.

A Teacher-generated maths trail, Maths on the Quayside. It was created trialled and modified by 10-year-old children, with teacher support for a large cross school event. During the two day event 2,600 children walked this maths trail.

A Teacher-generated maths trail, The Hidden Beauty within Durham City. It designed for 14-year-old children and their families to explore their local environment. The local Tourist Information Centre provide this trail to families who are interested in searching out the hidden maths in their city.

Maths Week Ireland maths trail takes a walk down South King Street in Dublin. This trail is designed to show young people and families that maths is related to the real world around them and that while challenging, maths can be enjoyable.
Additional guidance: See here for template for designing maths walks Trailblazing: Article from InTouch magazine
The PDST have a page dedicated to designing trails.

An example of a woodland maths trail, developed with a view to reinforcing school maths and making a link with a woodland environment.

From the NRICH group in University of Cambridge. Gives ideas on how to develop a maths trail, and gives locations in the UK of cultural sites which contain maths trails for children.

There is a walled garden trail available for schools to book and complete in Larne - what a great way to incorporate maths into a school trip!

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The above sentiments were expressed by children, who had just completed a maths trail as part of their school's mathematics week. Take a walk on the wild side and create a maths trail. A trail can take many different forms - use our guidance below to form your own trail for your class.

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Here are five pictures showing something happening at different times of the day.

Have a good look at each one. What do you see in the picture? What is happening? Could you describe it to someone else?

You could use these pictures in different ways. For example:

1. You could put them into an order in which you think they might happen through a day.

2. You could suggest what time these things happen in your day.

3. You could see how many hours might pass between pairs of pictures you have chosen.
4. You could draw another picture that might 'fit' between two of the pictures.

5. You will have your own ideas too...

Please let us know what you try.

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Here are five pictures showing something happening at different times of the day. Have a good look at each one. What do you see in the picture? What is happening? Could you describe it to someone else? You could use these pictures in different ways. For example: 1.

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Please note: Activities marked with * were created to support distance learning

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STEM Smaointe - Junior and Senior Infants

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Please note: Activities marked with * were created to support distance learning

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infant  free math games practice common core standards

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Compare the length of different objects determining which is longer or shorter.

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Children use everyday language to talk about size, to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems

Children often enjoy measuring themselves with different things.

Adults could provide a variety of things to use as measuring units and compare results.

The Activity
The child lies down and the adult 'measures' the child, by putting a marker by head and feet, then stretching a piece of tape as long as the child. They find out how many pens will match this, carefully placed end to end, making sure they are straight, with no gaps or overlaps. Repeat with other things of uniform length, some long, some short (such as rolled up sheets of newspaper, spoons, buttons, Lego or Duplo bricks) to make several 'trails' of equal length and compare the results.

Encouraging mathematical thinking and reasoning:

Describing
What do you notice about using the pens and the paper rolls? How many pens does it take to match the tape?
You are 20 pens tall! How many paper rolls tall are you?
You are 3 and a bit rolls long/not quite 3 rolls long.

Reasoning
I wonder what will happen if we measure with Lego bricks? Why do you think there will be more?
There are some gaps between the dinosaurs - do you think that matters? Does it matter if they are all not the same length?

Opening Out
Which did we use most of? Which needed the smallest number?
You are three and a bit rolls long - what do you think we could use to measure the extra bit - little Lego bricks?
How many pens tall do you think your grown-up will be?
What other things are about the same height as you? Which are shorter or taller?
How tall are you with the measuring tape - what numbers can you see? Are you more or less than a metre tall?
How many footsteps tall are you? (Make sure you walk heel to toe and in a straight line!)

Recording
Let's take a photo of the 'trails' we've made.
Let's write the numbers of papers and pens, and centimetres tall you are. How can we make the calculator show these numbers?

The Mathematical Journey
Counting and cardinality:

counting objects using the number sequence, tagging each item and saying the total

comparing quantities and numbers, more / less / fewer / not as many

ordering several numbers most / biggest number / smallest number

estimating numbers

Matching numerals and amounts:

writing and reading numerals
Measures:

using language: tall, height, long, short, longer, length

predicting and explaining that the shorter things are the more you will need and vice versa: 'The buttons are really small so we will need lots'

generalising: 'If you get really long things you don't need as many'

Development and Variation
Predict and compare the number of things needed to measure an adult.
Cut a piece of string the length of the child - or use strips of newspaper joined together with sellotape - and try to find things the same length, commenting whether they are shorter or longer.
Tape pieces of newspaper together, draw round the child with a marker pen and cut out the silhouette, then mark the length in a straight line, so the child can see that their height is the distance between the top of their head and the bottom of their feet lying down or standing up.
Cut pieces of string (or paper strips) the same length as the child's reach (finger tip to finger tip with arms outstretched) and compare - are they the same? Compare this to head circumference. Find strips to match other body parts such as length of feet or waist.
How many of your own feet tall are you?
(With several children, focus on comparing the numbers and lengths of things used to measure, but not children's heights, as no-one likes being the shortest!)
Measure heights with a measuring tape and discuss the fact that there are 100 centimetres in a metre, and whether the child is more or less than a metre.

Resources
Rolled up sheets of newspapers (secured with a piece of sellotape), pens, Lego bricks, spoons, buttons, coins or anything of roughly uniform length.

Download a PDF of this resource.

Acknowledgement: Penny Latham

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Children use everyday language to talk about size, to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems

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Children use everyday language to talk about time, to compare quantities and to solve problems

The Activity: set a timer for a minute (or half a minute) and count how many actions the child can do in that time, such as star jumps, hops, or writing their name.

Encouraging mathematical thinking and reasoning:
Describing
How many star jumps did you do? How many hops? Which did you do more of?
Did you do more or fewer than last time?
You did more jumps - does that mean you are getting faster or slower?

Reasoning

What do you think you can do more of in a minute, star jumps or twirls? Why do you think that is?
Try again - can you do more this time?
What makes you think you are getting faster? Or slower?

How many times do you think you can do 'heads, shoulder, knees and toes'? How many claps or stamps do you think you can do in half a minute?

Opening Out

Can you think of some other actions you can do in a minute? Writing your name? Singing happy birthday all the way through?
Can you put your coat and shoes on in a minute?
Stand up with your eyes shut: sit down when you think a minute is over. How close were you? Did you think a minute was a shorter or longer time than it really is?

Recording
Shall we write down how many jumps you do each time, so we can keep track. What do these show?

The Mathematical Journey

Counting actions: using the number sequence, tagging each item andsaying the total

comparing quantities and numbers, more / less / fewer / not as many

ordering several numbers most / biggest number / smallest number

estimating numbers
Matching numerals and amounts:
writing and reading numerals

Measures:

using language: quick / fast / faster / slower; takes a long / short time

predicting and explaining that the shorter time things take the more you can do in a minute (and vice versa): 'Clapping is really quick so you can do lots'.

generalising: ' if it takes a long time you get a small number'.

Development and Variation

There are a huge variety of activities which children might suggest, some very brief, like clapping (or blinking!) and some taking longer, like twirling round (or winking!). Outdoor activities might include running/hopping the length of a path, or throwing and catching a ball. Indoor activities might include saying a rhyme or singing songs.

Longer activities, such as running round a circuit, can be timed to the nearest minute and the number discussed. Does a smaller number of minutes mean that you are getting slower or faster - and why? Timings for daily activities such as getting dressed or tidying away toys can be recorded and compared.

You should brush your teeth for two minutes (twice a day) - can you guess when two minutes is up?

Resources

You can use the digital timer on a phone, or a wind-up kitchen timer which 'pings'. Egg-timers may be less effective as they do not make a noise when the time is up (and do not provide options and numbers to discuss).

A number track or ruler of some kind is useful to refer to, for children to see how to write the numbers.

You can make a 'tocker' with a coffee jar lid, a lump of playdough or blutak, and a piece of card stuck on to provide a pointed 'handle', on which you can draw a face and hat. Pull the point so it is flat on the table and then release it: the lid should 'tock' several times to and fro before coming to rest. Use this time period to see how many things you can do. Or make tockers with different lids or amounts of playdough and set them off at the same time to see how long they keep tocking.

Download a pdf of this resource
Acknowledgement: Penny Latham

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Children use everyday language to talk about time, to compare quantities and to solve problems The Activity: set a timer for a minute (or half a minute) and count how many actions the child can do in that time, such as star jumps, hops, or writing their name.

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QR CODE

Scan this on mobiles and tablets to quickly open this web page.

Toy Shop Money is a game for helping children understand Euros. There are two game modes; the first where children use coins to make up varying amounts to buy the toys and the second where they work out change.

This money game is suitable for children from 4 to 11 years of age as it has varying levels of difficulty. The easiest levels involve working out amounts with coins of the same denomination and the activities progress from counting out amounts with mixed coins to working out change from up to €10.

The game also supports other currencies including British, Australian and US money.

AGE

4-11 Years

SUBJECTS

Maths Money

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A shopping game where children work out which coins will buy toy shop items and where they can calculate change. Suitable for children 4 - 11 years and tablet-friendly. Different levels of difficulty and currencies - GBP, USD, AUD, EUR.

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Give all your staff access to 1000s of interactive, fun teaching resources - a jam-packed collection of Spag, number and phonics resources, and much, much more - all fully mapped to the national curriculum. Raise the attainment levels of your pupils, and help take a weight off the workload of your school's most valuable resource - the teachers!

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Take three differently coloured blocks - maybe red, yellow and blue. Make a tower using one of each colour. How many different towers can you make?

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Capacity Countdown is a tablet-friendly volume scale reading game.

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It is interesting to find how much things can hold, so today we will ...

You will need:

Measuring Cup (for larger items)

Measuring Spoons (for smaller items)

Pen and paper

Relative Sizes

Find Cups around the house ...
... include at least one small one.

Now, use the small one to fill each of the other ones in turn.
Record your results here:
Measured Sizes

Use a Measuring Cup to measure how many milliliters (ml) or fluid ounces (fl oz) fit into each of your cups or glasses.

A measuring cup showing 150ml

Pouring a cup into a measuring cup.

What if the cup is larger then the measuring cup?

Fill the measuring cup to the top mark, empty it and start again. Add up the total.

Spoons

We can also measure capacity using measuring spoons.

Measuring Spoons (Tbs means Tablespoon, Tsp means Teaspoon)

Pouring a tablespoon of water into a cup

This time we will count how many tablespoons (tbs) you need to fill a cup. A tablespoon holds about 15ml.

From Smallest to Largest

Lastly, list all the items you measured, from the smallest to largest capacity.

Example: Tiny clear glass, small white cup, ...

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It is interesting to find how much things can hold, so today we will ... You will need: Measuring Cup (for larger items) Measuring Spoons (for smaller items) Pen and paper Find Cups around the house ... ... include at least one small one.

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This problem has been designed to work on in a group of about four. For more details about how you might go about doing this, please read the Teachers' Notes.

You will need to print off these eight cards, which have pictures of glasses of orange and blackcurrant juice on them. You need one set of these cards for your group.

Have a good look at the cards with everyone in your group. Talk to each other about what you notice. Can you sort the cards in different ways?

Now you are ready for the challenge. You will need to print off this set of clue cards. There are ten clue cards altogether.

Give the clue cards out to everyone in your group. Take it in turns to read your cards out loud. Listen out for instructions that tell you what to do, which are written on one or more of the cards.

Can you lay out the pictures of the drinks in the way described by the clue cards?

We would love to hear how you got on with this activity.
Perhaps you can send us a photo of your solution?
Can you tell us which clue cards helped you get started?
How did you know whether your solution was correct?

This activity is taken from Maths Buzz, collaborative reasoning challenges devised by NRICH and published by BEAM. Maths Buzz is out of print but can still be found on Amazon.

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This problem has been designed to work on in a group of about four. For more details about how you might go about doing this, please read the Teachers' Notes. You will need to print off these eight cards, which have pictures of glasses of orange and blackcurrant juice on them.

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You need to find a collection of jars and bottles of different sizes and shapes, like those in the picture below:

I wonder which holds the most/least liquid?
Use estimation first of all.
How could you find out? Explore!

Can you find a way of counting how many "small container-fulls" each will hold?
Can you find a better way?

Having done that you might like to more on to Bottles 2

Photograph Acknowledgement
http://www.jarsandbottles.co.uk/

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You need to find a collection of jars and bottles of different sizes and shapes, like those in the picture below: I wonder which holds the most/least liquid? Use estimation first of all. How could you find out? Explore! Can you find a way of counting how many "small container-fulls" each will hold?

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The value of the circle changes in each of the following problems. Can you discover its value in each problem?

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Download lesson pack
Please save and then extract this file to your hard drive first before trying to use.

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AGE

2-5 Years

SUBJECTS

Maths Measures

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