You don’t need worksheets to help your child with maths. Some of the most useful maths learning happens in ordinary conversations: counting the stairs, sharing out biscuits, or wondering how long until we get there. Here are easy ideas, sorted by the skills children build from Prep to Year 3.
Counting that really counts
Saying “one, two, three…” is only part of counting. Children also need to touch or point to each thing once, and to understand that the last number they say tells them how many there are.
- Count pegs as you hang out the washing, steps as you climb them, or grapes as you put them on a plate.
- After counting, ask “So how many are there?” If your child counts again from the start, that’s a sign this idea is still growing.
- Count backwards for blast-offs, and count on from a number other than one: “Start at 7 and keep going.”
Quick looks (subitising)
Subitising means seeing how many there are without counting. Most of us know the dots on a dice instantly. Children build this skill by seeing small groups often.
There are six quick games in what is subitising?
- Flash some fingers for a second and ask “How many?”
- Play dice games, and ask “How did you know it was five so fast?”
- Spot groups around you: two eyes, three wheels on a trike, four legs on a chair.
Number bonds to 10
Pairs of numbers that make 10 (1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, 5 and 5) are a foundation for adding and subtracting bigger numbers later. Knowing that 8 + 2 = 10 helps a child work out 8 + 5 by going through 10.
For eight no-prep games, see number bonds to 10.
- Hold up ten fingers, fold some down: “I’m hiding some. How many am I hiding?”
- In the bath, ten toys and two cups: how many ways can you share them?
- Bigger children can move on to bonds to 20 and to 100: “You’ve got 60 cents. How much more for a dollar?”
Maths in the kitchen
- Setting the table: one plate for each person. How many forks do we need? How many if Nan comes too?
- Sharing: share 12 strawberries fairly between three people. Is there any left over?
- Halves and quarters: cut a sandwich or a pizza and name the pieces. Are the halves really equal?
- Measuring: fill cups and spoons when you bake. Which jug holds more? For older children, double a recipe.
Maths in the car
- Number plates: read the numbers, find the biggest digit, or add the digits together.
- Speed signs: which is faster, 40 or 60? How much faster?
- Counting games: count red cars or trucks. Who reaches 10 first?
- Time: “We’ll be there in 20 minutes. That’s about as long as an episode of your show.”
Money
Australian coins are perfect for maths talk, partly because their sizes are surprising: the $2 coin is smaller than the $1 coin, and the 50c coin is the biggest of all. Talk about which coin is worth more, and why size doesn’t tell you.
Our guide to Australian money for kids explains why the $2 coin is smaller than the $1, and who is on each note.
- Sort a handful of coins: 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2.
- Play shops at home with price tags. Younger children pay with single coins; older children work out change.
- At the checkout, let your child hand over the money and check the change with you.
Time
Children usually start with o’clock and half past, then quarter past and quarter to, then reading time to the minute. An analogue clock in the kitchen makes it part of the day. Our guide to teaching kids to tell the time shows what each year level learns.
- Talk about the order of the day: before school, after lunch, tomorrow, yesterday.
- “It’s 4 o’clock. Dinner is at 6. How many hours until dinner?”
- Use a timer for teeth brushing and ask: was that longer or shorter than a minute?
Talk about the thinking
The most powerful maths question is “How did you work that out?” It tells you what your child understands, it shows them there’s more than one way to solve a problem, and it turns a wrong answer into something to learn from rather than something to fear. Mistakes are part of maths for everyone, so let your child see you make, notice and fix some of your own.
