50+ Fun Math Activities for Kids

Most kids hate math. But it’s not usually math’s fault, it’s the textbook’s fault. Kids love learning math when they can learn using fun math activities for kids. It doesn’t take a lot to convert a math hater into a math lover with the ultimate list of math activities for kids. You may be surprised at how much better kids learn when doing hands-on math projects! Add these math challenges to your STEM activities for kids.

Kids will love these fun math activities for kids! Make math fun with these hands-on math activities for preschool, hands-on math activities for kindergarten, and math challenges for elementary. There is no end to what you can learn in these math challenges for kids! #math #handsonmath #mathactivities #handsonlearning #kidsactivities #iteachtoo #mathclass

Engaging Math Activities for Kids

Learning math doesn’t have to be a chore! Even kids who hate math will start to love it when you do these fun math activities for kids.

What are the Benefits of Hands-On Math Activities for Kids?

Research has found that using math manipulatives, and engaging in other hands-on math activities is the key to retaining math.

Children usually remember what they learn in a textbook for a short period of time. This is why you’ll often see kids suffer from “summer slide,” where kids forget half of what they learned the year before and must spend the first two months of school getting back to where they were last May.

For full understanding of most math concepts, children benefit most from lessons that are grounded in experience with concrete objects. This basis of math instruction helps build a foundation of mathematical thinking and makes it easier for children to understand abstract math in the future.

Even some abstract math concepts can be explained in physical form.

Above all, math that a child can see is math that a child will remember, like this how to design a coin activity!

That’s why hands-on math activities for kids are so beneficial!

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Fun Math Activities for Kids

Why should kids do hands on math activities?

When children are young, they cannot understand abstract thinking.

You might be able to get a child to remember math facts, but unless that child is doing math in a hands-on way, she won’t understand WHY the math works.

And if a kid can’t understand why, it’s easy to get confused and give up when math starts getting a little more difficult.

Using math activities lets kids explore math concepts like multiplying, adding, subtracting, dividing, fractions, and other concepts in the physical realm.

Even advanced topics like geometry and algebra are easier for kids to understand when using a hands-on math activity.

In short, a child who does hands-on math activities, is a child who has a better understanding of math and will do better in math all the way through college.

Check out: The Ultimate List of Science Experiments for Kids

Math Teaching Tips

Follow these tips to make your math activities for kids a little easier.

Choose Age-Appropriate Topics

Don’t have first graders counting money or something they have no interest in. Try bringing in fun manipulatives that they love, like little action figures, small toys, and other things they are familiar with.

Older kids won’t want to solve how long it takes two buses to pass each other, but they may wonder when they might pass their friend on a bike leaving at different times.

Use fun kid-friendly themes, like balloons, candy, emojis, superheros, collectible toys, and other things relevant to the child’s interest.