Family Fun – Numeracy & Maths
Number Tennis
Serve a ‘number’ under 100. Your partner must return the serve by responding with the number that would make your total 100, within a strict 5 second time limit. e.g. 1) serve “45” 2) responds “55”. Variations: 5, 10, 20, 1000, 1 (0.3 served / 0.7 responded)
Gimme 5
Give your partner a start number and ask them to count backwards or forwards. They must say the next 5 numbers in the sequence. If the manage it they get a ‘high 5’. You can make it more challenging by varying the jumps .e.g. count backwards from 55 in 6s.
Yes/No Game
Think of a number and keep it to yourself. Your partner will then ask questions to work out what it is. e.g. “Is it an even number?”, “is it smaller than 20?”,, “Is it a multiple of 5?”
Rock, Paper… Add!
Like ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ you hide your hand behind your back, call together ‘1,2,3 – show’ but the difference is you reveal both your hands holding 0-10 fingers.
Multiply the number of fingers on each hand and call the answer. The player to call the correct answer first wins the point.
Variation – each finger to represent another value. E.g 1 finger = 10 instead of 1.
Unlucky 13
Count to 13 without landing on 13! You can say a maximum of 3 numbers in a row in each go. If you have to say 13 a point goes to the other players. This game is more about strategy and mathematical thinking than counting.
Variations – count backwards to 0, count up to a higher number, use a different number sequence (e.g. Fibonacci, primer number, multiples of 5, etc).
E.g.
Person A: 1, 2
Person B: 3, 4, 5
A: 6
B: 7, 8, 9
A: 10. 11, 12
B: 13!
I have a secret rule
Think of a rule such as ‘odd numbers over 20’.
Your partner list suggestions to see if they can figure out your rule.
E.g.
A: I have a rule.
B: does 50 meet you rule?
A: no
B:13
A: yes
Etc.
Variations – use 2D or 3D shape names. E.g. rule is the shape has more than 3 corners.
Maths Bot
Choose a rule such as ‘double and add one’.
Your partner gives you a number e.g. 3 and you respond (in your best robot voice) with their number after it’s been through the Maths Bot – 7.
Keep going until they guess your rule.
20 Questions
Choose a number 1-100.
Your partner asks a maximum of questions to discover the number.
A: is your number even
B: yes
A: is it in the 4 times-table?
B: no
Etc.
Variation: agree to use decimal numbers to 2 decimal places or use prime numbers.
Number of the Day
Choose today’s number (whole number or decimal).
Make up 5 challenges for your partner.
E.g. double today’s number / add your age to today’s number / subtract your age from today’s number / multiply it by yesterday’s number / multiply today’s number by 10/ etc.
Click here for a list of ideas!
Bake or cook
With adult supervision/help do some baking or cooking. You will need to measure and weigh out ingredients carefully to use your maths skills. Keep an eye on the time to make sure it doesn’t burn!
Build a den
Set den challenges for each other with a maths twist.
E.g. build a den with a perimeter bigger than a sofa cushion, use a triangle in your den structure, the door must be larger than 6 handspans.
Plan a party
You have a budget of £200 to plan a party (birthday, Christmas, paddling pool party’.
Think about: food, drinks, entertainment, party bag, activities, decorations, how many people you’re inviting.
How much is your name?
A=1, B=2 … Y=25, Z=26
How much is your first name? Last name? Full name? Who has the highest scoring name in your family? What’s the highest scoring 3 letter name you can find? What’s the lowest scoring name you can find?
Variations – use animals, food, cars, football club names, etc.
I-spy
I-spy with a maths twist.
E.g. I spy with my little eye something bigger than 2 meters/ I spy something cylinder shaped / I spy something that’s heavier than me.
Place your bets (but don’t actually bet anything!)
With a partner, estimate different challenges and then see who’s right.
A: I think it will be 50 steps from the living room to the bathroom
B: I think it’s on 39 steps.
Then do the steps together to see who’s closest.
E.g. I think it will take 20 mugs of water to fill the sink basin / I think it will take 20 seconds to do 25 star jumps
Crazy Problems
Ask a partner a crazy maths question and solve the problem together (possibly with a calculator- thinking and talking that helps your brain in this one).
E.g how old am I in months? Weeks? days?! hours?!! What’s my height in sheets of paper? How old am I in dog years? How many hours do I sleep per week?
Would You Rather?
Ask maths themed questions such as…
Would you rather have a pound for each year you’ve been alive or a penny for each day you’ve been alive?
You may want to use a calculator – it’s the thinking and talking about it that’s important.
There’s lots of ideas on: http://www.wouldyourathermath.com/
