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How To Help Add Winter Sparkle To Your Classroom Activities

11/23/2025

 
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only a few weeks away. The year has gone by quickly, at least for some. The weather is getting cooler and it won’t be long until we are shoveling snow and seeing decorations appear around the neighborhoods.
winter is coming capture the excitement
It’s still fall, but as December approaches, we start to feel like winter has arrived. This is a great time to start adding some winter-themed activities into your lessons. There are so many ways to add a bit of sparkle to your days with reading, writing, math, science, social studies and art.

Winter is also a wonderful time to explore connections between subjects. Snowflakes can become math patterns, winter poems can inspire art projects, and stories about seasonal traditions can open discussions about community and culture. By weaving these ideas into different subjects, we can help students see how learning is connected.

Here are a few ideas to try in the coming months.
Add sone winter sparkle

Writing and Language Arts

Writing about the season is a great way for students to express their creativity and build descriptive vocabulary.
  • Christmas Writing Using the Five Senses encourages students to use descriptive words as they imagine what they see, hear, smell, taste, and touch at Christmas time. It’s a fun way to introduce sensory details and help students “paint a picture with words.”
  • Winter Parts of Speech Activities: Silly Sentences adds a playful twist to grammar. Students choose winter-themed nouns, verbs, and adjectives to create silly seasonal sentences that make everyone giggle while reinforcing grammar skills.
You can even tie these activities together by having students write short winter stories using the silly sentences they create, or by having them describe a snowy scene using all five senses.
Winter writing and language activities

Math and Data Activities

Winter themes are perfect for hands-on math and data lessons.
  • Creating Snowman Glyphs combines art, math, and data collection. Students answer questions about themselves, then build a snowman that reflects their answers. Once all the snowmen are finished, compare features, count accessories, and create graphs using the class data.
  • If you’re working on number sense, you can check out my Festive Holiday Number Sense Activities for Place Value and Fact Families or Place Value Games and Activities for Representing Numbers in Different Ways. Both include winter and holiday themes that make math review feel like play.
winter math activities

Winter Sports

Winter brings many opportunities to connect learning across subjects.
  • Winter Olympics and other world competitions are great opportunities to add in some literacy and math activities with a sports theme. My Winter Sports Bundle includes writing and math activities as well as a medal tracker and a set of sight word task cards.
  • If you want to take this theme further, you can connect physical activity and social studies. Students can explore different winter sports, compare how people participate around the world, and even create mini-research projects about a favorite event.
  • Since the Winter Olympics are coming in 2026, it might be fun to check out highlights of where it's being hosted. Another suggestion might be to research and make comparisons between some of the different cities that have held the games.
winter sports activities

Making The Most Of The Season

  • Use your snowman glyphs or five senses writing pieces for art displays that brighten your classroom walls. Add some science discussions about snow and weather patterns, or talk about how animals adapt to winter conditions.​
​As the days get shorter and excitement builds toward the holidays, simple seasonal activities can keep students engaged and learning. 
  • Snow Day Activities Bundle: Math, Writing, Word Work, Games, and Activities includes a variety of seasonal activities that are perfect for centres or those days when routines get interrupted. It keeps learning fun and focused, even when the excitement of a possible snow day is in the air!
Festive holiday activities
Whether you’re exploring snowflakes in math, writing about winter scents, or learning about snowy sports, these lessons add warmth and creativity to your days, no matter how chilly it gets outside!
snowy days activities
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celebrate winter with games and activities

Why Is It Important To Teach Kids How To Use Basic Facts In Math?

11/16/2025

 
Have you ever watched a child add on their fingers, lose track of where they were, and then start all over again? It can be a little frustrating for both of you, but it’s also such an important reminder that some children are still counting because they don’t yet see how numbers work together.

It’s a lot like when kids first learn to recite the alphabet. They might be able to sing the ABC song perfectly, but not yet recognize the letters or understand the sounds they make. The same thing happens in math. Kids can count or recite number sequences without really understanding the relationships between numbers.
child counting on fingers
That’s where the basic facts come in. Knowing that 8 + 2 = 10 or 6 + 3 = 9 isn’t just about remembering an answer; it’s about understanding how numbers connect and build on each other. When children develop this understanding, they gain confidence, speed, and flexibility. They start to think, reason, and solve problems instead of just counting one by one.

Once children have built strong number sense, recognizing quantities, seeing patterns, and understanding the idea of “how many,” they’re ready to explore how numbers work together. And that’s the perfect time to begin working on basic facts.
making connections with basic facts

What Are Basic Facts, and Why Do They Matter?

When we talk about “basic facts,” we usually mean addition and subtraction facts within 20. These are the small number combinations that form the building blocks for everything else in math.
​
But fluency with basic facts doesn’t mean memorizing a list of equations. True fluency means being accurate, flexible, and confident. It’s knowing that if 6 + 6 = 12, then 6 + 7 must be 13 without having to count.

Strong fact fluency gives children the mental space to think about what they’re doing rather than how to do it. Once the basic facts are automatic, kids can focus on problem solving, multi-digit operations, or real-world applications like working with money.
what are basic facts

Making Math Hands-On and Meaningful

Hands-on learning is essential for building this understanding. Tools like ten frames, dice, counters, and fingers let children see and feel numbers. Fingers, in particular, are a natural resource; we carry a set of ten everywhere! They help kids visualize how two numbers combine to make ten and what’s left when we subtract from ten. Over time, they move from relying on fingers to imagining these patterns mentally.
When children are actively involved in exploring numbers, they develop a deeper understanding of how numbers work together. Here are a few hands-on ways to help them build their basic fact knowledge and confidence.
1. Using Ten Frames
Ten frames are a powerful visual tool for developing number sense. When students place counters on a ten frame, they can clearly see how numbers relate to ten.
  • Try giving them a number and asking, “How many more do we need to make ten?”
  • Or show a ten frame that’s partly filled and ask, “How many are missing?”
These kinds of activities help children internalize number combinations that make ten, an essential foundation for addition and subtraction.
making math meaningful with hands on activities
2. Rolling Dice to Make Tens
Dice games are always a hit in the primary classroom! You can use traditional six-sided dice, for facts up to twelve, or for an extra challenge, try 10 or 20-sided dice for making tens or numbers up to 20.

Have children roll the dice and find combinations that make ten. Over time, they’ll start to recognize number pairs that go together automatically, for example, 3 and 7, or 6 and 4.

I’ve shared more ideas for using dice and ten frames together in a previous post: Making Tens with Dice and Ten Frames.

3. Counters for Combining and Taking Away
Counters are great for modeling addition and subtraction. Let children physically move counters to show what happens when numbers are joined or separated. You can also challenge them to find different ways to make the same number, for example, how many different ways can they make 8?

Making Tens And Counting Money

Learning about tens is especially powerful here. When children can easily make and recognize tens, they are also preparing for understanding money.

Even though we no longer use pennies in Canada, we still use the concept of ten pennies equalling one dime. It’s a concrete way for children to understand that ten smaller units combine to make one larger unit, the same base-ten idea used throughout math. Later, when children start learning about money, we can talk about rounding up or down to the nearest nickel to compensate for not having pennies, but for now, the idea of “ten makes one” helps everything click.
making tens and counting money activities

Building Number Sense Through Basic Facts Strategies

Working with strategies, helps provide the tools needed to see patterns and learn the basic facts for addition and subtraction. Here are some anchor charts that can help remind children of the different strategies they can try to solve problems.
basic facts anchor charts for addition and subtraction
Get your free copy here

Not Everyone Solves Problems The Same Way

I often tell my students that solving math problems is like using a road map. We may all start at the same place, but we don’t always take the same route to the answer. Some students might use ten frames, others might visualize numbers, and some might rely on their fingers. What matters is if they can explain their thinking and arrive at the destination. Roadblocks become learning opportunities, detours lead to new strategies, and every path helps deepen understanding.

​Consider having them share their “road maps” in pairs or small groups. Seeing multiple strategies and explaining reasoning builds understanding and confidence.
what is your road map

Reflect and Observe

Here are some reflection questions to consider:
  • How are the children approaching each problem? Counting, subitizing, or using patterns?
  • Which strategies do they naturally choose, and which need support?
  • Can they explain their thinking and navigate roadblocks?
  • How can you connect tens and number sense to real-life examples, like money or grouping objects?​
help guide through roadblocks and detours
With lots of hands on activities and opportunities to practice using basic facts, kids can build a solid foundation that will help them successfully make sense of more complex situations, both with abstract ideas and real-life situations.

After working with several students who struggled to understand even simple math problems, I can confidently say that once they had a solid understanding of basic facts, they finally were able to figure out more difficult problems, and some of them even began to enjoy math.
make math fun with games and activities
Math doesn't have to be a chore. It can be fun with games and activities that build skills. Keep adding that bit of fun and see how it makes a difference.
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using concrete ideas for teaching math

How To Help Young Children Make Numbers Meaningful With Place Value Activities

11/9/2025

 
Do you remember when your kids first started learning to count? At that stage, it was all about saying the numbers in order, “one, two, three…”  but they didn't really understand what those numbers meant yet. The same thing can happen later when we start working with bigger numbers. Children might be able to read and write them, but that doesn’t mean they truly understand what each digit represents.
child counting blocks
That’s where activities that focus on representing numbers in different ways make all the difference. When children learn to represent a number using standard notation, base ten blocks, expanded notation, and number words, they begin to see how all the pieces fit together. These experiences build a strong foundation for number sense, which carries over into every area of math.
representing numbers in different forms

Hands On Place Value Practice

Base ten blocks are one of the best tools for helping children visualize what a number is really made of. When they build 243, they can see that it’s 2 hundreds, 4 tens, and 3 ones. That’s when the concept of place value begins to click. The position of each digit really does matter!

​You can also give them extra practice at home or in independent centers with my Base Ten Blocks Printable And Portable For Place Value Activities And Games, a printable version that’s perfect when real manipulatives aren’t available.
boy working with base ten blocks
My Place Value Games and Activities for Representing Numbers in Different Ways includes hands-on tasks that kids can use to build, write, and compare numbers using base ten blocks, expanded notation, and number words. It works beautifully for centers or small group instruction.

​To learn more about this resource, check out this blog post. It includes a video that explains how to use it.
place value activities

Representing Numbers Through the Seasons

Keeping math centers fresh is easy when you tie in a seasonal theme. A small visual change can make the same skill feel brand new!

In the fall, Place Value Turkeys Task Cards: Working With Expanded Notation help children break numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones while having fun with a Thanksgiving theme.

When winter rolls around, try Snowflake Place Value Activities for a cool way to review number forms. Kids love seeing numbers represented in snowflake models as they build, write, and expand them.

Then, as the holidays approach, the Holiday Lights Place Value Task Cards bring a little sparkle to your math centers while reinforcing standard and expanded notation.
place value activities for different seasons

Connecting Number Words, Symbols, and Models

Reading and writing number words can be tricky for young learners. Matching “thirty-five” to 35, or writing it after building it with base ten blocks, helps them make those important connections between what they see, say, and write.

​You can mix and match your resources to include number words in small group lessons, task card rotations, or quick warm-ups. The more ways children see numbers represented, the stronger their overall understanding becomes. 

My Numbers and Number Words 1–100 Holidays and Seasons Bundle provides seasonal activities for every time of year, giving kids repeated exposure to number words and symbols in fun, meaningful ways.
working with numbers and number words

Encouraging Number Sense Every Day

Developing number sense is a gradual process built through daily exploration and meaningful practice. The more opportunities children have to represent numbers in many ways, using manipulatives, task cards, games, and themed activities, the deeper their understanding grows.

When they realize that numbers can be written, built, read, and expanded in many ways, they stop memorizing and start understanding. That’s when the real learning happens.
practice number sense daily
Here's a list of my resources, all in one place, to support your place value lessons:
Place Value Games and Activities for Representing Numbers in Different Ways
Place Value Turkeys Task Cards: Working With Expanded Notation
Snowflake Place Value Activities
Holiday Lights Place Value Task Cards
Numbers and Number Words 1–100 Holidays and Seasons Bundle
Portable Base Ten Blocks
Themed Place Value Practice
resources for representing numbers in different ways
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How to develop place value and number sense skills

How To Help Kids Make Sense of Numbers With Simple Hands On Activities

10/26/2025

 
I was watching a young child playing with blocks one day. He was happily counting out loud, “one, two, three…”, as he pointed randomly at the blocks. When I asked how many he had, he proudly answered, “Three!” even though there were closer to ten.

It reminded me of how young children learn to sing the alphabet song. They can recite all the letters perfectly, but that doesn’t mean they recognize each one or understand the sounds they make. The same thing happens with numbers. A child might count in sequence beautifully but not yet connect those number words to actual quantities.

That’s where number sense comes in, helping children move from saying numbers to truly understanding them.
from counting to understanding



What Number Sense Really Means 

Number sense is the foundation of all math learning. It’s not about memorizing counting sequences or math facts; it’s about understanding what numbers represent and how they relate to one another.

Children with strong number sense:
  • understand that numbers represent quantities,
  • can compare and combine amounts, and
  • recognize that there’s more than one way to make a number.

​For example, they might realize that 8 can be 5 and 3, 4 and 4, or 10 minus 2. They start to see patterns, estimate amounts, and explain their reasoning, skills that will help them when math problems get more complex later on.
what is number sense

Simple Routines That Build Number Sense

Number sense grows best through short, consistent routines that make math part of everyday learning. Here are a few easy ideas to use in your classroom.

1. Number of the Day
Choose a number and explore it in as many ways as possible. If today’s number is 7, children can:
  • show it with counters or base ten blocks,
  • draw it on a ten frame,
  • write it in words and digits, and
  • find combinations that make 7 (5 + 2, 3 + 4).
It’s a simple routine that helps children see numbers flexibly and recognize relationships between them.

2. Counting Collections
Give kids small groups of objects, buttons, blocks, or beads, and let them count. Encourage them to group items into fives or tens to make counting easier. This helps them notice patterns and begin to build an understanding of place value.
number of the day
3. Quick Images (Dot Patterns)
Show students a card with dots, a ten frame, or a dice face for just a few seconds, then cover it. Ask, “How many did you see? How did you know?”
This develops subitizing, the ability to recognize small quantities instantly, and helps children begin to “see” numbers instead of counting them one by one.

Dice are perfect for this. At first, students may count each dot carefully, but soon they start recognizing patterns, like the X shape for five or the two rows of three for six. Recognizing these patterns builds confidence and deepens understanding of number relationships.
quick image recognition dots
​4. Making Tens with Dice
Once children are comfortable recognizing patterns, you can use dice for a quick “make ten” game. Roll two dice and see if the numbers add up to ten. Over time, they begin to recognize the combinations, like 6 and 4 or 7 and 3, without counting the dots.

This simple activity builds fluency with number combinations in a playful way. You can read more about how I’ve used this strategy in my post:
Making Tens with Dice and Ten Frames

5. Estimation Jars
Fill a jar with small items (buttons, LEGO pieces, erasers) and ask children to guess how many. Once you count together, talk about their strategies: “How did you make your estimate?” or “Was it too high or too low?”
Estimation helps children think about quantities flexibly and strengthens their ability to reason with numbers.

Using Manipulatives to Make Numbers Real

Hands-on materials help children make sense of numbers, but they work best when used intentionally. Start with real objects that can be touched and moved, then move to visual models like ten frames or drawings, and finally to symbols like digits and equations.

This gradual shift from concrete to abstract helps children understand why numbers work the way they do, not just that they do.
kids using manipulatives

Encouraging Math Talk

Math grows through conversation. Whenever possible, give students time to explain their thinking. Ask questions like:
  • “How do you know?”
  • “Can you show that another way?”
  • “What would happen if we added one more?”

​These small conversations help children reason, make connections, and feel confident sharing their ideas, all key parts of developing strong number sense.
math number talks

Start Small — It All Adds Up

Building number sense doesn’t require complicated lessons or fancy materials. Start with one short daily routine, a quick image, a counting collection, or a number of the day, and let your students explore.

When children begin to see patterns in numbers, understand relationships, and explain their thinking, everything else in math starts to make more sense.

By helping them see numbers, on dice, in ten frames, or in everyday objects, you’re giving them a foundation that supports every math skill they’ll learn in the years ahead.
start small for best understanding
If you’d like more ways to make number sense hands-on and engaging, take a look at my Festive Holiday Number Sense Activities for Place Value and Fact Families or download my Portable Base Ten Blocks, available for free exclusively to newsletter subscribers. Both help children explore numbers visually and meaningfully, and best of all, they make learning math fun!
number sense resources that work
Get your free base 10 set here
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Making tens

How To Enjoy The Excitement At Halloween And Avoid Classroom Chaos

10/19/2025

 
Halloween is an exciting time for kids. They spend lots of time discussing costumes, decorations and even different parties or places they might be going to. It's one of those times when you're best to let this direct your lessons rather than fight it.

However, you can still focus on academic goals and activities if you add a Halloween theme to them. Kids will have fun with the activities and not even realize they are learning while they engage in them.
How to contain Halloween excitement
One of the easiest ways to keep things calm and productive during the excitement of Halloween week is to weave the theme into your literacy and math activities. When kids see pumpkins, bats, or spiders on their worksheets or at centers, they’re immediately hooked, and you still get to cover the skills you need to.
weaving math and literacy at Halloween

Literacy Activities

Try some Halloween-themed sentence building or parts of speech activities. My Halloween Parts of Speech Activities: Silly Sentences always get the giggles going as students mix and match words to create spooky or downright silly sentences,  and they’re practicing grammar at the same time.

You can also do a Spooky Story Starters activity. Give each student a picture prompt (a haunted house, a black cat, a bubbling potion) and ask them to write a short story or descriptive paragraph using vivid adjectives and sensory details. If you’ve been working on descriptive writing, this is a perfect tie-in.

Another fun idea is to set up a Halloween vocabulary center. Include themed word cards (witch, cauldron, skeleton, etc.) and challenge students to use the words in sentences, sort them by parts of speech, or create a mini Halloween Dictionary.  My Vocabulary Activities and Games for Halloween make this kind of center easy to prep.
literacy Halloween activities

Math Activities

Math centers are another great place to sneak in some Halloween fun.
For example, use pumpkins, ghosts, or candy corn for counting, grouping, or comparing numbers. In Halloween Math Activities, kids can practice number sense, addition, and subtraction while sorting and graphing Halloween objects.

You can even do a quick Odd and Even Sort with Halloween pictures. My Fall and Halloween Odd and Even Tallies resource adds a nice visual and recording piece to this skill.

If your class likes art-based projects, try Pumpkin Glyphs. These are great for combining math, data collection, and art. Students answer questions about their preferences, then create pumpkins that represent their answers. The finished display becomes a fun way to compare and graph classroom data.
Math Halloween activities

Hands-On Extras

Here are a few more ways to make Halloween week engaging:
  • Estimate and Count Candy Corn: Fill a jar with candy corn and have students estimate and then count how many pieces are inside. Extend it by creating subtraction or division questions once the total is revealed. (If you don't want to use candy, use candy corn erasers.)
  • Bat or Spider Measurement: Have students measure paper bats or spiders with cubes, paperclips, or rulers.
  • Halloween Sound Hunt: For younger grades, go on a “sound hunt” around Halloween words. Find items that start with the same sound as pumpkin, witch, or bat.
  • STEM Challenge: Build a spider web using string and masking tape between two chairs. Can your class create a web strong enough to hold a plastic spider or a pom-pom bug?
other Halloween activities
Halloween week doesn’t have to be wild. It can actually be one of the most engaging times of the year if you harness that excitement in the right way. When kids are busy writing silly Halloween sentences, sorting odd and even pumpkins, or measuring bats and spiders, they’re learning and having fun at the same time.
maintaining order and avoiding chaos
If you’re looking for ready-to-use activities that fit perfectly with these ideas, I have several more Halloween-themed resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Diamond Mom’s Treasury. Check out my Halloween category to find more. They’re designed to make your planning easier and your students’ learning more engaging, with just the right amount of Halloween fun.
use ready made resources for Halloween
So go ahead — embrace the spooky season in your classroom! With a few themed activities, you’ll keep things light, academic, and filled with laughter (and maybe a few pretend ghosts).
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Halloween fun

How To Help Children See How Math Is Useful Every Day In Real Life

5/18/2025

 
Summer doesn’t have to mean a break from learning—especially when it comes to math! In fact, summer is the perfect time to show kids that math isn’t just something we do in school—it's something we use every single day. Best of all, these activities don’t feel like worksheets or homework. They feel like fun.
​
Here are some simple, real-world ways to keep those math skills sharp while making lasting summer memories.
Summer math learning tips

Working With Money

Learning how to earn, budget, and spend money well are important life skills for everyone. Doing real activities with money will help children learn how to apply the skills they learn. Grocery store math is one example. 
Bring your child along on your next grocery trip and turn it into a math adventure. Ask them to:
  • Estimate the total of the items in your cart.
  • Weigh produce and compare the prices.
  • Count out money and help you check change.
Bonus: If they love pretend play, set up a mini grocery store at home with empty boxes and play money!
using money in real life situations
For more ideas about using money and learning how to budget, check out my recent blog post. A free sampler is also included.
​
For more tips on using money and some hands on activities, check out this blog post.

Cooking Up Some Math

Kids are curious and they love to learn about new things. Hands on activities in the kitchen are great for teaching math skills in a fun way with something delicious to eat in the end.

Measuring, pouring, and mixing aren’t just kitchen skills—they’re math skills too! Get kids involved in:
  • Measuring ingredients (great for understanding fractions).
  • Doubling or halving recipes.
  • Timing how long things bake or cook.
  • Working with different temperatures (oven temperature, stovetop temperatures, refrigerator or freezer temperatures)
  • Learning differences in mass and measurements for wet and dry ingredients.

​It’s messy, meaningful, and tasty math all in one.
cooking up some math

Games That Count

Playing games is a great way to build in math skills without kids groaning about having to do math. There are so many math-rich games that kids love, including:
  • Card games like War, Go Fish, Uno, Yahtzee, Skipbo, or Dominoes that build number sense, strategy, and logical thinking.
  • Dice games that involve adding or subtracting. For more ideas about how to use dice to teach basic facts, check out this blog post.
  • Board games that require counting spaces or managing play money.

These build mental math skills in a natural, pressure-free way. Kids have so much fun playing the games they don't realize that they are doing math.
Counting games

Math Walks And Sidewalk Chalk Math

Walking around the neighborhood is a great way to find out how math is everywhere.
  • Go on a walk and count how many birds, red cars, or triangles you can find.

A bucket of chalk can turn your driveway into a math playground:
  • Draw a number line and jump along it while solving problems.
  • Create a hopscotch board with skip counting or fact families.
Let them get creative and invent their own math games too!
sidewalk chalk math

Build a Math Kit for On-the-Go Fun

Keep math tools handy for road trips, restaurant waits, or quiet afternoons. Try:
  • Dice and number cards
  • A small notebook for tallying or skip counting
  • A ruler or measuring tape
  • Beads or buttons for counting and sorting
  • Pencil and eraser for recording information
This mini math kit makes it easy to squeeze in learning anytime.
build a math kit
If you would like a checklist for the activities given here, click the button below.
summer learning math checklist
Get your Summer Math Checklist here
Math is everywhere, and summer is the perfect time to notice it. Whether you’re traveling, cooking, relaxing at home, or exploring your neighborhood, a little bit of math can go a long way.
Math tips for summer learning
​Next time I will focus on Science and some activities that might be fun to try during the summer break.
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Tips for school and home primary math
8 fun math tips for summer

How To Teach Money Skills Made Easy For Parents, Homeschoolers, And Teachers

4/27/2025

 
Teaching kids about money isn’t just about knowing the value of coins or how to count. It’s an important life skill that helps children understand how money works in the world around them. Whether you’re a parent, homeschooling, or teaching in a classroom, the basics of counting money, recognizing coins, and solving simple word problems are all skills that will benefit your child for years to come.

​Here are some practical ideas for teaching money in a way that makes sense, whether you're using Canadian or American coins—or any other kind of currency. The key is focusing on the core concepts and making learning fun and hands-on.
hands on activities help children understand how money works

1. Make Money Matter by Connecting It to Everyday Life

To help kids understand money, it's best to start by showing them how it’s used in everyday situations. Talk about when you go shopping, pay for things, or save for something special. By making money a part of real-life examples, kids can see why it's important to know how to use it.
​
Idea to Try: Let kids handle the money and actually pay for items at the store. This will allow them to see how money is exchanged and why sometimes they receive change. 

2. Recognize Coins: Understanding the Value of Each Coin

Kids need to learn how to recognize different coins and know their value. Even though Canadian and American coins might look different, the idea of understanding sizes, shapes, and values is the same. Teach them to recognize the various coins and talk about how each coin is worth a certain amount.
​
Idea to Try:
Use coin sorting activities with either play money or real coins. Have your child sort the coins by size or type and talk about their values. You can even make a simple coin chart to help them remember which coin is worth what.
Kids sorting and counting money

3. Counting Money: Start Simple, Then Build Up

Once children are familiar with the coins, the next step is learning how to count them. Start small by using just a few coins, and then gradually increase the number. Teach them to start with the largest value coin and count down to the smallest for easier math.
​
Idea to Try:
Create simple money challenges, like counting to $1.00 or $2.00 using only nickels and dimes. You can also use money word problems to make it more fun. For example: "If you have 3 dimes and 2 nickels, how much money do you have?" Word problems help children apply their counting skills to real-life scenarios.

4. Use Visuals to Make It Clear

Some kids might find it hard to understand money just from listening or talking about it. That’s where visuals can help. Whether you’re using real coins or pictures of coins, showing how money works visually makes it easier for kids to understand.

Idea to Try:
Make a simple money chart showing pictures of different coins with their values written next to them. You can also practice counting coins by using visuals and adding up their value on the chart, helping your child see the total amount.
Canadian and American money

5. Practice with Word Problems: Apply Money Skills in Real-Life Situations

Once children have learned to count coins, it’s time to use that knowledge in everyday situations through word problems. Money word problems are a great way to get kids thinking about how they would use money in real life, like at a store or when saving for something special.
​
Idea to Try:
Use money word problems such as:
  • "You have $3.00. You buy a snack for $1.50. How much money do you have left?"
  • "You want to buy a toy that costs $4.00. You have a $5.00 bill. How much change will you get?"
These types of questions not only help kids with math, but they also teach them how to make decisions about money in real situations.
Opportunities to pay for and handle money

6. Make Learning Fun with Games

Money doesn’t have to be all about worksheets and lessons. Make it interactive with fun games that help kids practice their skills. Games are a great way to keep kids engaged while they learn, and they can practice counting, coin recognition, and making change—all while having fun.
​
​Idea to Try:
Set up a mini store at home or in the classroom or at home using play money or even real coins. Let kids practice being the customer and the shopkeeper. They can "buy" and "sell" items, make change, and learn how money is used in a fun and practical way.

Teaching Money Skills is About More Than Just Coins

Teaching children about money doesn’t have to be hard. By making it a part of their everyday life, using visuals, and practicing with games and word problems, you can help them build the skills they’ll need to understand money for years to come. Whether you're using Canadian or American coins—or any type of currency—the most important thing is to keep it hands-on, fun, and connected to real-world experiences.
Canadian money bundle
American money bundle
If you’re looking for resources to help teach these skills, the Canadian Money Activities Bundle and the American Money Activities Bundle are packed with worksheets, task cards, games, and word problems designed to teach counting money, coin recognition, and more. These easy-to-use tools are perfect for parents, homeschoolers, and teachers alike.
Start with some of these activities today and watch as your child or student becomes more confident with their money skills!
Games and other hands on activities for money
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How To Help Take The Confusion Out Of Money With Hands On Lessons

4/20/2025

 
When teaching young children, money can be a challenging concept to master. While we often think of coins as simple objects with values attached, for kids, coin recognition and counting money can be tough to grasp. After all, a dime might look smaller than a nickel, but it’s worth more—that’s a lot for young minds to juggle. Not only that, many kids don't have a change to handle money because many transactions are done with debit and credit cards.
Hands on activities with money
Teaching young kids about money is a crucial skill, but it can also be one of the trickiest concepts to make fun and relatable. You might have found yourself wondering how to keep them engaged while helping them make sense of coins, bills, and word problems. You’re not alone! Many teachers face the same challenge—how to bring real-world money skills into the classroom in a way that clicks.

The good news? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. With the right mix of hands-on practice and visual support, your students can develop confidence and competence when working with money. 
debit cards and piggy banks

Using Play Money for Coin Recognition

Before you can dive into counting and word problems, students need to recognize the different coins. Coin recognition isn’t just about identifying the coin’s name; it’s also about understanding the relationship between size, shape, and value.
Here are some fun ways to help your students practice coin recognition:
  • Coin Sorting: Have students sort coins by size, color, or value. This is a great hands-on activity that encourages visual and tactile learning.
  • Coin Matching: Create cards with images of coins, and ask students to match the cards with actual coins. You can make it into a memory game for added fun!
This visual learning will help students clearly understand the differences between pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
counting and sorting coins

Why Hands-On Practice Makes a Difference

Students often struggle with the abstract concept of money because they don’t always get the chance to physically interact with coins. Holding, sorting, and counting real coins helps students develop a concrete understanding of their value. By physically manipulating the coins, students are more likely to internalize the differences between coins and how their values add up.

💡 Teaching Tip: Set up a “money exploration station” where students can freely sort coins by value or size. Give them a set of real or play coins and let them explore, compare, and organize. This is a great way to build familiarity before diving into counting!
hands full of coins

A Money Unit That Provides Lessons For Young Children

Today, I’m sharing a money unit with you that can create engaging, effective money lessons that are both easy to prep and meaningful for students.

The beauty of this unit is it was created collaboratively with my Grade 3 students. We took time to work together to figure out the different activities and we did lots of practice with counting, sorting, and spending money in various role playing activities. 

If you've ever taught a money unit, you already know how tricky it can be. Some students instantly “get it” when it comes to identifying coins and counting bills. Others struggle to remember what a dime is worth—let alone how to make change.

​
It’s normal to have a wide range of abilities in your classroom, but that doesn’t make your job any easier. This unit takes a step by step approach and involves lots of hands on practice and real world examples to help kids make sense of what they are learning. It handles the planning piece and makes things low prep for you.
money lessons and word problem task cards
Check out this unit here. For more information on how we used what we learned to create a spring fundraiser, check out this blog post. For more information about how we worked through the unit, check here.

Grab a Free Sampler

money lessons for children sampler
Grab your sampler here
Here is a sampler of a couple of lessons and templates from the unit. Give it a try and see how you can make working with money real for kids.

Kid Themed Money Word Problems

As part of the money unit, several scenarios were created that were kid friendly and helped with learning how to use money in the real world. This resulted in a supplementary resource of kid themed money word problem task cards. You can check it out here.
money lessons for children that work
For more tips and resources for teaching young children how to work with money check out my next blog post. There I will focus on resources for both Canadian and American currency.
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Talk soon. Thanks for stopping by. Charlene

How Fun Activities Help Kids Learn About Measurement In The Real World

3/9/2025

 
Imagine measuring a room with a child’s shoe and an adult’s shoe. You’d end up with two very different results for the same space! This fun and simple activity is a great way to introduce kids to the importance of standard measurement. But length isn’t the only thing we measure in our daily lives. From mass to temperature, measurements play a vital role in helping us make sense of the world.
​
In this post, we’ll explore:
  1. Why non-standard measurement is a great starting point.
  2. A fun shoe activity to illustrate why standard units are essential.
  3. The different types of measurement we use every day and why they matter.
Why non-standard measurement doesn't always work

Non-Standard vs. Standard Measurement

When children first begin learning about measurement, they often start with non-standard units—items like crayons, blocks, or even shoes. These are tangible, relatable, and help kids develop an understanding of size and comparison.
​
However, non-standard units can create confusion when results need to be shared or compared. For example:
  • A table might measure 10 child-sized shoes but only 6 adult-sized shoes.
  • Without a standard unit, it’s hard to determine the table’s true length.
Standard units like inches, centimeters, grams, ounces, liters, and quarts provide a universal language, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all measurements.
Fun activity to try

Activity: Measuring with Shoes

This engaging activity introduces the need for standard units while keeping learning fun.
What You’ll Need:
  • A child’s shoe and an adult’s shoe.
  • A ruler or measuring tape (with inches and centimeters).
  • An object to measure (e.g., a table, rug, or doorway).
Steps:
  1. Measure the object using the child’s shoe. Record the result.
  2. Measure the same object using the adult’s shoe. Record the result.
  3. Compare the two measurements. Discuss why the results are different.
  4. Measure the object with a ruler or tape measure to find its true length in standard units (inches or centimeters).
  5. Talk about why standard units make measuring easier.
Discussion Questions:
  • Why did the measurements differ when we used different shoes?
  • Why are inches or centimeters better for comparing objects?
  • How would using standard units help if we measured the same object in another country?
types of measurement in real life

Types of Measurement in Real Life

Measurement goes far beyond length. Here are some key types of measurement kids will encounter:
Mass(Weight):
  1. We measure mass in grams, kilograms, ounces, or pounds.
  2. Real-life examples: Weighing fruit at the grocery store or ingredients for a recipe.

Volume:
  1. Volume measures how much space a liquid or gas occupies, using liters, milliliters, cups, or gallons.
  2. Real-life examples: Pouring milk into a glass or filling a swimming pool.

Temperature:
  1. Measured in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit, temperature helps us understand how hot or cold something is.
  2. Real-life examples: Checking the weather or cooking food.

Area and Perimeter:
  1. Areas measures the surface of a space (square feet or square meters), while perimeter measures the distance around a shape.
  2. Real-life examples: Calculating how much paint to buy for a wall or fencing for a garden.

Length:
  1. Length is measured in inches, centimeters, feet, or meters.
  2. Real-life examples: Determining the height of a door or the length of a piece of fabric.

​By introducing these types of measurement early, kids can see how math connects to their daily lives.
using metric and customary units for measurement
Take your measurement lessons to the next level with Measurement Activities And Measurement Games Metric And Customary Units Tallies
This resource includes:
  • Activities for both metric and customary units.
  • Hands-on activities to explore length, mass, volume, and more.
  • Practice opportunities for using different measurement units
It’s perfect for introducing or reinforcing measurement concepts in a fun, interactive way!
measurement and tallies activity bundle
From cooking dinner to building furniture, measurement is everywhere. By starting with relatable, hands-on activities like measuring with shoes and introducing standard units, we can give kids the tools they need to navigate the world confidently.
From cooking to building measurement is everywhere
Next time you’re measuring something, try using shoes to spark a conversation about non-standard and standard units. Then, connect the dots by exploring other types of measurement in real life. Your kids will love learning how math fits into their world!
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How Fun Activities Help Kids Move From Non-Standard To Standard Measurement

3/2/2025

 
Once kids have mastered the basics of non-standard measurement, they’re ready to take the next step: learning to measure with standard units like centimeters, inches, grams, and liters. This progression helps children make sense of the world around them and prepares them for real-life tasks like baking, building, or measuring for art projects.
In this post, we’ll explore how to transition from non-standard to standard measurement, share practical tips and activities, and highlight a resource that makes teaching standard measurement easy and fun.
Moving from non-standard to standard measurement

Why Standard Measurement?

Standard measurement introduces children to tools and units that allow for consistent and accurate measurements. It’s a critical skill that they’ll use throughout their education and daily life.
​
Learning standard units helps children:
  • Understand the need for universal measurements.
  • Gain precision in comparing objects and quantities.
  • Build skills they’ll use in STEM subjects and practical activities.
Why is standard measurement important?

How to Transition from Non-Standard to Standard Units

Start Small:
  1. Begin with familiar tools like rulers, measuring tapes, or kitchen scales.
  2. Encourage children to measure favorite toys or pieces of furniture and compare the results to their non-standard measurements.

Explore Metric and Customary Units:
  1. Measure the same object in both centimeters and inches  to highlight the differences between metric and customary systems.
  2. Discuss when each system is used, such as centimeters for lengths and inches for height.

Real Life Applications:
  1. Incorporate standard measurement into everyday tasks, like measuring ingredients for a recipe or tracking the growth of a plant.
  2. Create a fun project where kids measure the heights of family members and chart the results using standard units.
How to transition from non-standard to standard measurement and have fun doing it
For an easy introduction to teaching both non-standard and standard measurement, check out My Measurement Booklet.
This booklet:
  • Combines non-standard and standard examples for a seamless transition.
  • Covers both metric and customary units, making it versatile for any classroom or home setting
  • Has different versions for metric measurements to accommodate where it is used (centimeter/centimetre, meter/metre, liter/litre, etc.)
My Measurement booklet

Engaging Activities for Standard Measurement

Guesss and Measure:
  1. Have kids estimate the length or weight of an object before measuring it with a ruler or scale.
  2. Celebrate accurate guesses and discuss the importance of precise measurement.

Measure and Compare:
  1. Measure the same object in inches and centimeters, then compare the two.
  2. Create a chart to visualize the differences between metric and customary units.
Engaging activities for standard measure
Teaching standard measurement equips children with practical skills that extend beyond the classroom. By giving them opportunities to explore and apply these concepts, you’re helping them build confidence in math, science, and everyday problem-solving.
make the leap from non-standard to standard measurement
Making the leap from non-standard to standard measurement doesn’t have to be intimidating. With engaging activities, the right tools, and plenty of hands-on practice, kids can master this essential skill while having fun along the way. Explore the resources linked here to find even more ways to make measurement meaningful and exciting!
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Talk soon. Thanks for stopping by. Charlene

Related Posts

Measurement using standard and non-standard units
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    About Me Charlene Sequeira

    I am a wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 9, and a retired primary and music teacher. I love working with kids and continue to volunteer at school and teach ukulele.

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