These summer math activities will have your elementary-age kids adding up the fun all summer long.
Why Are Summer Math Activities Important?
Math is a skill-based subject. If you aren’t working to maintain or improve your math skills, you’ll experience the summer slide.
You can motivate your elementary students to practice their math skills with these fun summer math activities.
They will have so much fun that they may not even notice they are using math!
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7 Summer Math Activities for Elementary Students
These summer math activities range from simple addition to more complex math problems.
Hopscotch with Math Problems
Hopscotch is a quintessential summertime game. All you need is sidewalk chalk and a pebble!
You can play variations of hopscotch rules that all involve math.
Simple Hopscotch
This classic version reinforces counting and number recognition.
Addition Hopscotch
Roll two dice and have your child add up the sum. Then roll the pebble on the hopscotch board.
Jump that number of spaces on the hopscotch board (but make sure you jump over the space with the pebble).
Subtraction Hopscotch
Throw the pebble. Then draw two playing cards (Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13) and subtract the smaller card value from the larger card value.
Jump that number of spaces (and jump over the space with the pebble).
Skip Counting Hopscotch
Label your hopscotch board with multiples of a certain number (like the 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.).
Throw the pebble and play regular hopscotch, but skip count the numbers as you hop the board.
Run a Lemonade Stand
Do you love lemonade? (Check out these lemonade recipes if so.)
Running a lemonade stand is one of those summer math activities that provides its own reward: income!
Your elementary student will learn about money values as well as addition and subtraction.
Plan a Trip
Do you feel like taking a trip? Don’t just take your child along for the ride! Involve him in the planning process!
Planning a trip involves calculating the distance and determining how long it will take to get there.
You can also involve your child in breaking up the trip into quarters (or thirds) and planning stops.
Even getting gas is a chance to do math.
How many gallons will you need to get to your destination? How much will the price of gas be?
Work on these math activities before you begin your trip.
Token Economy for Summer Chores
Summer math activities can have multiple benefits.
YOU want your child to do chores to help out this summer. HE wants some form of payment. Welcome to economics!
Develop a token economy. Get your child involved in making a chart that lists the various chores and their token payment (you can use anything you want as tokens – plastic chips work well).
He can save up his tokens to redeem for prizes from a treasure bin or fun summer activities.
Mental Math Games
Car games don’t have to be word centered (like the alphabet game).
You can play mental math games to keep everyone entertained (and brush up on math skills while you are at it).
Here are some ideas:
10 Questions
Think of a number between 1 and 100. The other person can ask up to ten questions. (e.g., “Is it higher than 50?” Or “Does it end with a 5?”)
Add Up to 100
Start with a single-digit number. Take turns challenging one another to add numbers less than 10 to the number.
Go back and forth until you reach 100.
Star Number
Pick a number (the “star number”) and take turns coming up with arithmetic operations that produce that number.
For example, if you pick 8, you can use 3+5, 15-7, or 2 x 4.
Swimming Treasure Hunt
This summer math activity involves swimming!
Buy sinking pool toys. Throw them in the pool and then give directives like, “Find three yellow fish,” or “Pick up two rings and three torpedos.”
This activity works on counting, basic addition, and following directions.
Track Your Steps
Why not combine fitness goals with summer math activities?
You can buy an inexpensive step counter and give your child a daily distance goal.
You could make the challenge more fun by having an overall summertime goal (like 50 miles) and then dividing the distance up for daily goals.
Make a chart for the child to complete (hello graphing!) in order to track his progress.
You can even offer a reward for completing the challenge.
Summer Math Activities Perfect for Elementary Students
Summer doesn’t have to be a time of mental laziness. Your elementary-age child will have lots of fun with these summer math activities.
She will also reap the benefits of daily math practice; her skills will stay sharp all summer!