How can your child learn math through play?

A child’s early learning experiences have a direct impact on their level of motivation and interest in school. When learning experiences are fun, they’re more likely to have a positive effect on the child’s development. Specifically, learning through play allows children to do the following:

• Apply logical reasoning
• Explore freely
• Broaden their understanding of the world
• Make predictions
• Verify their assumptions
• Ask for help
• Etc.

Children can learn through play in many different ways. Here are a few examples:

• Free play
• Guided play
• Activities created by an adult
• Direct instruction activities
• Etc.

Games are an essential tool for helping your child understand math. Through play, kids can learn without having to worry about making mistakes and can apply mathematical concepts that are often difficult to understand. What’s more, the enjoyment they get from games acts as a real driving force on motivation and self-confidence—two essential factors for academic success. To give your child’s math skills a boost, you can suggest these fun activities:

Building blocks are amazing toys for young minds. Not only are they popular with kids, but playing with them improves gross and fine motor skills and teaches different math concepts, like the following:

• Classification
• Depth perception
• Problem solving
• Prediction
• Etc.

With geometric blocks, you can also teach your child the following:

• Two squares can form a rectangle
• Two triangles can form a square
• Etc.

Many kids love these classic games. Since they’re easy to carry around, they can be played anywhere—plus, they allow kids to practise number skills:

• Representation of quantities
• Number decomposition
• Comparison
• Classification
• Etc.

When you cook with your child, you’re not only helping them adopt healthy food habits; you’re also introducing them to mathematical concepts, like the following:

• Measurements
• Weights
• Temperatures
• Fractions
• Divisions
• Etc.

Even sports can help your child hone their math skills. Sports improve concentration, self-esteem, and overall health, while also helping kids learn to do the following:

• Follow instructions
• Move with spatial-temporal awareness
• Find solutions
• Keep score
• Anticipate trajectories
• Etc.

Alloprof’s website offers all kinds of educational games. Our math selection is especially popular with kids! Although, for now, they are only available in French, math is a universal language, and your child is sure to have fun while they practise their math skills. Try them out with your child: