Any chance I get to jazz up the same old math facts, I take it! Writing out math facts on windows or mirrors with glass pens? Check! Beads and LEGOS? Absolutely! UNO cards? Have we met??? This easy-to-make keypad can turn any doorway, wall or floor space into a functional learning place!
Here’s why this is such a great way to practice math facts:
- It’s cost-effective. Post-it notes work great for this project, but you can use any paper. The point is to spread them out on a large scale. Simply write out each individual number 0-9, just like a telephone. Keep it in 3 x 3 columns, as opposed to putting them in a straight line. A fun twist on this project is to trace your child’s hand and have them cut out the hands for each number (or you can do it, too). That way, they are giving a high-5 each time! Honestly, any fun shape would work!
- It can be done anywhere. This activity can be laid out on the floor, on a door, in a box or with a fox! HA! Pardon my Dr. Seuss inner voice creeping out there! But you could also put this on a wall, a bathroom mirror….shall I go on? One favorite use for this activity is to write the keypad out on the driveway or sidewalk. You could even put this on a rear-seat window in the car for car rides! Do you get the impression that I am relentless? Lol!
3. This activity gets kids crossing their midline. Midline crossing helps increase communication between both hemispheres of the brain, in addition to improving bilateral coordination in the body.
4. The mind-body connection increases your child’s ability to remember the information being learned! When we incorporate bodily movement into learning, we increase the number or neural pathways being created around that information. When that happens, children are more likely to remember whatever we are trying to teach them, be that math facts, grammar rules, or state capitals!
Enjoy this short (poorly filmed) video demo that shows you how it works!
No matter how you use this concept, it is sure to be more fun and more effective than plain old rote memorization! I’d love to hear about your experience using this idea!