Hands-On Ways to Sharpen Math Skills

Hands-on math activities provide some of the best learning lessons for your kids. Because math is such an abstract field, it helps young learners to be able to visually see and manipulate concrete objects. So, instead of just relying on the math worksheets, grab some common household materials and try some of these hands-on ways to sharpen math skills in your homeschool.

Learning About Shapes with Hands-On Math Activities

Learning about shapes isn’t just for the preschoolers. Check out these fun hands-on activities that will help your littlest learners plus some older kids in your homeschool. First, create a set of Geometric Magnets to use on your refrigerator. Your preschoolers might use it for color and shape recognition. But your kids ages 5-16 can challenge themselves to create ever more challenging designs. Study symmetry and how smaller shapes work together to create larger shapes. You can download the magnet printables along with challenges to try from KiwiCo.

Your older kids will love the challenge of the Missing Square Puzzle. Learn about area when you download a free printable and follow the directions from KiwiCo.

For your kids that enjoy puzzles, you’ll love these resources:

• FREE Critical Thinkings Math Puzzle eBook
• Printable Lego Duplo Puzzles for Math
• Fun and Free Printable Puzzles

For learning about shapes with hands-on activities, you’ll love:

• FREE Preschool Shapes Matching Cards
• 3D Sorting Mats to Learn Shapes
• Free Printable Pack of Geometric Nets for 3D Shapes

Finally, use simple paper plates to help your kids understand fractions. All you need to make Paper Plate Fraction Puzzles are paper plates, markers, and scissors. Even your preschoolers can understand some of the basic principles of fractions when they’re using hands-on math activities. 

Here are a couple more fraction lessons that use hands-on activities:

• Hands-on Fraction Fun: Teach Your Children About Fractions in Everyday Life
• FREE Cut and Paste Activity to Add and Subtract Fractions

Number Recognition Activities

When you’re homeschooling little learners, you need a bunch of hands-on math activities in your toolbox to help them understand and remember math concepts. Here are a few fun number recognition activities to use with your preschool and early elementary kids.

Every child loves imaginative play! Add a bit of hands-on math practice with a Pretend Cash Register. All you need is an empty cardboard box, tape, crayons, and a printable from KiwiCo. to create your cash register. Add in some play money and you’ll be all set to help your kids start to recognize their numbers.

Practice counting with these Clothespin Counting Cards. You can create sets for each season. Just grab some card stock, markers, clothespins, and glue and let your kids help create these counting cards. You could even cut the counting cards apart and see if they can match up the correct clothespin. Drop these in a bag for a quick learning activity to use on-the-go.

One last hands-on counting activity that will help with number recognition is the Counting Caterpillars project. This one will also help your kids’ fine motor skills as they make their caterpillars. With some construction paper, glue, and pompoms, your preschoolers will learn to recognize their numbers and count. You can even adjust this activity for older kids by writing addition equations on the caterpillar head and letting them use pompoms to solve it. 

Check out these fun hands-on math activities:

• Candy Corn Hands-on Math Activities with Free Printables
• FREE 30 Hands-on Montessori Math Activities
• Using Manipulatives in Your Homeschool + Freebies Math Mats
• Budget Friendly Ways to Practice Math Skills

Hands-on math activities really do help your kids understand and remember math concepts. Plus, they won’t feel like they’re learning – because it’s so fun! So break out the manipulatives and craft supplies and use some of these ideas in your homeschool to help your kids sharpen their math skills.