Math and Science Activities

Sorting is such a fun way to practice math skills at an early age, and you'll be surprised how well little ones can do this activity. You can sort pretty much anything into differnt categories- by size, shape, color or make it more challenging and by category (food, clothing, sports equipment vs. stuffies, etc). It can even serve as a great way to get a few chores done in a more interactive way :)

Patterning activities can use pretty much anything you have at home- beads, pasta, legos, etc. Parents can model how to make a simple pattern- red, green, red, green. Then ask your child what comes next. Once they have mastered this, they can make their own or try more complicated patterns!

Line up different objects with one that does not belong to the same category as the others. Ask your child to figure out which one doesn't belong. You may need to model this first AND explain why you made your choice. This will help them understand how to categorize. 

Use your child's favorite snack to practice counting at snack or mealtimes. For beginners, count as you put them on a plate. Model and then have them count with you. For. a challenge, you can ask them to show you 5 crackers and they fan practice counting them out. This practices two different skills at different levels. 

A great water play activity for the summer! Get a shallow bin of water or use the sink or bathtub. Have your child pick a few different objects from around the house and guess whether or not they willl sink or float.  You can also grab our freebie from the printables section for a pre-made version!

Have your child collect several different objects. Then take 2 objects and talk abut which one you think is heavier and which is lighter. Explain why to model this thinking! Then give your child a turn. For an extension, use a toy balance to check if you were right!