Hands-on Activities to Introduce Young Minds to Big Math

  I was compensated for my time for review purposes, but all opinions expressed are my own.

Some kids are a lot more tolerant of worksheets than other kids; mine lean towards the "I can't concentrate on anything unless it is entertaining, and I can wiggle" side of things. The older they get the better they can sit, but they are still much more likely to choose fun over work (honestly, what kid isn't). So, if there is a way to make their work more fun, why not do it! 

One subject where worksheets seem to abound is math. Pages of problems designed to give them plenty of practice at each of the concepts. I get it, practice is necessary if you want to get a good foundation in math. But there is another way to get practice; hands-on activities! You knew I would say that right? 

In fact, Beast Academy has an entire site dedicated to fun ways to get kids practicing math without even realizing it! It is aptly called Beast Academy Playground, and if you are a homeschooling a little one, you are sure to discover a lot of fun ideas for math practice.

Let's take a closer look at this fabulous math resource from Beast Academy and what they have to offer.

A Variety of Engaging Offline Math Games

When you first arrive at the Beast Academy Playground you will find a collection of math activities that can be filtered by age, activity type, number of players, location, time, and learning goals. Of course you can just browse activities too, but the filters really help especially if you need something for a specific skill. 

The filters make it super easy to find a hands-on activity to make math more engaging for your kids. To make it even easier, each activity comes with both written instructions and a video demonstration of how to play each game. Letting kids watch the video makes it simple to explain each activity to them!

I also love the variety of math activities Beast Academy offers to interest kids. Everything from physical activities like the Kanga Ruler (similar to something we have done in the past) to number games to crafts. 

Math Practice for Multiple Ages

Many of the activities on Beast Academy Playground are games that can engage multiple people. This allowed for a little extra practice in basic math functions for the older kids while they played with their little sister. This also gave me a little break. 

 

Engaging Math Games for on the Go

Beast Academy Playground even has some math games that can be played anywhere. My kids enjoyed playing Odds vs Evens for pretzels. It is always nice to add some games that can be played in the car or while you are waiting. 

Interesting Math Concepts for Older Kids

While many of the games that practice math skills focus on basic math functions, Beast Academy Playground also includes a selection of Curiosities and Abstract Games that will entertain and employ the critical thinking skills of older kids.

These hands-on math activities are definitely not what comes to mind when you think math, but they definitely are, and they will definitely flex their thinking muscles.  Check out how my son felt about his Mobius strip in the video below. 

In fact this Mobius Strip activity even got the teenager thinking. 

Overall, the hands-on, math activities provided on Beast Academy Playground are easy to use and effective at sneaking in extra math practice with fun! Be sure to explore the collection of math activities, crafts, and more. Plus new videos are released weekly, so subscribe to be notified of new additions!

With Beast Academy Playground you can develop your student's love for math and build problem-solving confidence.