Play an Arithmetic Game: Math Racers!

In this activity, your child will work on addition and subtraction and reinforce her counting skills, while playing an outdoor racing game. She'll strengthen her grasp of important math concepts and keep her body active along with her mind while she's at it. Play this game at home in your yard or at a park on a beautiful day!

What You Need:

• Two baskets or two paper bags with handles
• A dozen or more plastic eggs or small rubber balls
• Outdoor play yard or large indoor play room

What You Do:

1. This game is best played with at least 4 children.  Start outside in your yard or at a park and begin by dividing the children into two lines at one end of the yard. Make two piles of rubber balls or plastic eggs at the other end of the yard.
2. Give the first child in each line a basket or a bag (whichever you are playing with).
3. Begin the race by calling out an arithmetic problem, such as “2 plus 1!”
4. Each child will race to fill their bag with the correct number of eggs or balls to equal the answer to the problem. Then each child  will race back and count out his answer to see if it's correct.
5. Give each child one or more turns at the race.
6. To assess your child's learning, consider the following: Can your child recognize an addition equation? Is she able to add small numbers?

Variation: To play the same game with younger children, call out a number instead of a math problem. Show children math problems on paper, and relate them to the racing game. Explain how “2 + 1 = 3” is the same as putting two eggs into the basket, plus putting another egg into the basket, which equals three eggs total in the basket!