The Valentine’s Day holiday is fast approaching and the kids are getting that rosy glow. The time is now to think up a few imaginative activities. Make sure to include numbers and geometry! Here are five math ideas to get those little hearts pumping with excitement.
Candy Heart Jars
Get three different sized jars and fill each with candy hearts. Then have a contest to see who can come the closest to guessing how many are in each jar. Engage the older children in a counting activity by making them responsible for determining the winner. Teach the concepts of volume and surface area. Younger children can be guided into discussions about big, bigger, and biggest as they compare the sizes of each jar.
Valentine's Day Heart Shapes
Teach children about geometry by having them creatively use hearts to make pictures. Prepare the math craft by cutting out plenty of red, pink, and white hearts, along with a few circles, triangles, and additional shapes. Make the rule that children must use at least one heart to build an animal, flower, or other object. They can use different shapes for the eyes, bodies, tails, and stems. For preschool children, shape patterns can be provided.
Heart Treasure Hunt and Tally Activity
Hide plastic or wooden heart-shaped items around the room and have larger groups of children form teams to find them. One or two children can do this game at home as well. Be prepared to hide the hearts more than once! Provide children with a tally sheet so they can keep track of how many are found. This activity will provide entertainment as well as teach simple counting and adding concepts.
Hearts and Dice
Cut out heart shapes. For preschool students, place a number from one to six on each heart. Have the child roll a die and take the heart with the matching number. Help him or her to count the dots on the die, so that the matching is done properly. The child with the highest rolled number wins. Try best out of three.
For older children, two dice may be used for this math game. Prepare the hearts so that each one has a possible sum of two dice. Children must add the numbers on their two dice and choose the correct heart. To make it even more challenging, try best out of three!
Counting Hidden Numbers
On a piece of paper, draw a big heart. Within the shape, place several numbers, bending to fit within the curve. Have children find and count each number. Preschool children can trace each number they find with a different color crayon. They can also be provided with a list of numbers to look for, as well as a space to put the count. As an additional activity for elementary children, numbers can be added to determine a total sum.
Graphing Candy Colors
Provide children with a bowl of ten or twenty heart candies of multiple colors. Have them go through the candy and note down how many of each color there are. Help children determine which color has the most hearts and which has the least. Create a bar or pie chart to illustrate the totals visually. After the game is done, the children can snack on the classic Valentine’s Day treat!
Valentine’s Day can make the short month of February fly by even faster, so make sure the kids are still learning their math. Introducing counting and geometric concepts with a hearty twist is a great way to celebrate, and educate too!
Karen Plumley - Karen Plumley is a writer specializing in parenting and education. She works for Parenting NH and the Hippo, NH's most widely read ...
