Valentines Day maths

Have fun together with valentine paper hearts and your child won't even realise that they are practising the four times tables! Brilliant

Happy Valentines Day! Fold some paper in half, in half again, in half again. Cut out a heart shape. Ask "How many hearts?" Explore the four times table by replacing the folded hearts back inside one another and cutting again close to your original cut, again and again...2x4, 3x4...Try folding paper in different ways and predicting how many hearts you will have before unfolding.

Extend the learning to talk about division with some outdoor fun

Go on a nature hunt and collect lots of sticks, sort them straight/not straight.

Take turns to grab a handful of straight sticks.

Count how many.

Lay the sticks out to make as many four sided shapes (quadrilaterals)as you can.

★ Pass it on ★On your turn count the sticks in your handful and predict how many quadrilaterals you will be able to make.For example say,"twenty five sticks, I remember that six times four is twenty four so I think twenty five sticks will make six quadrilaterals and I'll have one stick left over." Ask "How many quadrilaterals will your handful make?"
I am passionate to encourage families because the best way for you to help your child with maths at home is to have fun together. Get started with Number Chase games and activities.