Written by: Jessica Kaminski
When you think about math, what comes to mind? Is it the long hours spent trying to understand complex concepts or maybe its the fear of math problems? Some adults have a phobia for math and transfer that fear to their kids. But, there's a way to break that cycle.
Today, you can conveniently access professional elementary math tutors that help kids understand the subject. And these pro’s are making it fun by using tools and resources like games, videos, the Figgy Play Couch, along with worksheets. Now, isn't that something?!
So, whether you want your little one to learn the fundamentals or advanced math problems these professionals know how to engage kids and keep them interested in learning. How do they do that? Keep reading to learn the top five Figgy Play activities that can help toddlers develop a love for mathematics.
1. Make a Ball Pit
A ball pit made with the Figgy Play Couch is a great way to mix fun and learning while including math activities. You can use the soft foam pieces to create a safe base, then fill it with colorful plastic balls. Toddlers can dive in, crawl, and play while learning early math skills in a hands-on way.
Start by teaching your child to count the balls. For example, ask them to pick up one ball, then two, and count as they go. You can also help them learn sorting by grouping balls by color or size. For simple numeracy activities for preschoolers, ask, “If we add 5 red balls and 2 blue balls, how many do we have now?”
As they play, children also improve their motor skills, like hand-eye coordination, by grabbing and throwing the balls. The soft foam and colorful balls provide a sensory experience that helps them learn shapes, textures, and patterns. This activity not only makes math fun but also encourages curiosity and creativity.
2. Build a Fort
Building a fort with the Figgy Play Couch is one of the most fun and creative maths activities for early learners. Using the foam blocks, they can stack, arrange, and rearrange the pieces to create castles, houses, or forts. As kids build, they solve problems like how to make their fort stand or how to create enough space inside. This boosts their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Fort-building also introduces simple math ideas like counting blocks, comparing sizes, and figuring out patterns. For example, they might notice that a square block fits differently from a rectangle. With the Figgy’s soft foam, forts are safe for little ones to crawl in and out of, giving them a cozy space to imagine and play. Whether they’re pretending to be pirates or princesses, they’re also building a love for math through creative problem-solving.
4. Turn the Figgy Play Couch Into a Ramp
One of the best maths activities for a reception class is making a ramp. By arranging the foam pieces at an incline, kids can climb up and slide down, combining physical activity with problem-solving. As they move, toddlers start learning concepts like height, slope, and distance — early building blocks for math.
Using the ramp also helps kids understand balance and movement and engage them in counting activities. For example, they might figure out how to climb without falling, which can introduce ideas like stability and coordination. As they climb, the kids can also learn math by counting their steps or measuring how far they slide.
Older kids can turn it into a fun game, like running to climb and slide. Adjusting the ramp’s angle can add a little challenge, showing them how changing the slope affects speed and distance.
4. Turn the Figgy Play Couch into a pretend kitchen
For additional math activities, you can arrange the pieces to look like kitchen counters, a small stove, or even a dining area. While pretending to cook, toddlers can make meals, serve food, and play with others, practicing important social skills like sharing and teamwork.
Playing pretend is a great way to introduce math activities for early learners. . You can ask your child to count pretend fruits or vegetables, measure ingredients while cooking, or compare sizes of their dishes. For example, they can figure out how many cups of tea to serve or count plates for their guests.
This helps toddlers solve problems and think creatively. They’ll need to decide how to arrange the couch pieces to build their kitchen or how to pretend to have different items, like a refrigerator or pantry. By playing together, they’ll also learn patience and teamwork, key skills for learning and growing.
5. Build an Obstacle Course
Building an obstacle course with the Figgy Play Couch is one sneaky idea to help toddlers embrace math without even realizing it. One of the perfect math activities for little ones is to arrange the foam pieces to make tunnels to crawl through, balance beams to walk on, or cushions to jump over. As kids play, they can practice counting jumps, measuring distances, and learning shapes like rectangles and triangles in the foam pieces.
Toddlers can learn early math concepts like determining the longest cushion in a furniture lineup or how many steps they need to cross a path.
An obstacle course is also a great way to share the fun of preschool math.Kids can take turns, race through the course, or help build it together. This teaches teamwork and friendly competition, while the soft foam keeps it safe for everyone.
Conclusion
There you have it! Toddlers and growing kids can develop a keen interest in math if they have the right resources around them. With a professional tutor who knows how to use the Figgy Play Couch, kids will have fun with math whenever they want to learn.
By helping kids participate in the early year math activities showcased in this article, your toddler will be on the right path to embracing just how fun learning math really is!