Every Day Summer Math Activities

Make math part of the summer fun—without kids even noticing! Everyday activities like cooking, shopping, building, and exploring are full of simple ways to sneak in counting, measuring, estimating, and problem-solving. Keep math skills sharp all summer long while your kids are busy making memories!

Both my parents were math teachers. I, however, have always been a language arts girl. You can imagine the frustration on both sides. I was in college before I realized all the fun math activities my super sneaky folks came up with just to keep me engaged.

My favorites were Mom’s treasure hunts. She could whip one up, complete with a map and treasure chest, at the drop of a hat. Her treasure hunts were the stuff of legends and all my friends and cousins loved joining in. So yes, math can be fun!

Basic Math Concepts for Summer

Here’s a simple list of concepts to slip in here and there during fun summer activities. Sure you can find oodles of worksheets for each of these concepts but the idea is to make math a natural part of what they are already enjoying.

I’m of the firm belief that fear and loathing of math comes from it being so disconnected from our daily life. Don’t get me wrong, worksheets and such can be very helpful, but it’s a whole lot easier for a kiddo to get excited about measuring ingredients for their favorite treat than a worksheet on the same topic.

Topics to Cover

• Counting (as high as they can go correctly)
• Number recognition and writing (again, as high as they can go)
• Shapes-circle, triangle, square, rectangle, ball (sphere), can (cylinder), box (cube) and cone
• Simple graphs
• Same/different
• Bigger/smaller
• Classifying by color, shape, size, function etc.
• Money
• Before and after numbers
• Measuring start with Imperial then add in Metric (length, volume and weight)
• Addition and subtraction

• Estimating
• Spatial relationships-over, under, beside, behind, directions etc
• Count by 2s, 5s and 10s
• Odd and even numbers
• Ordinals (first, second, third and so on)
• Time (analog and digital)
• Word problems
• Addition with carrying
• Subtraction with borrowing
• Fractions
• Problem solving

Whew! That’s quite a list! I can almost hear someone out there asking, “Geez, where does any of that get fun?” Keep reading! The fun is there every day!

FUN Math Filled Activities

• Cooking together: Let kids measure ingredients, double a recipe, or divide it in half. Divide the product into (equal) halves and quarters. (Measuring, bigger/smaller, time, problem solving, word problems, counting, shapes, ordinals and fractions)
• Road trips: Track miles, estimate arrival times, calculate gas mileage, identify shaped traffic signs, map reading (Measuring distance, addition, estimating, fractions, ordinals, time, problem solving, shapes)
• Gardening: Plan the garden layout, measure plant spacing, and keep a weather chart. (same/different sizes, classifying, measuring, fractions, estimating, spatial relationships, ordinals, money, time, problem solving)
• Shopping: Hand them a budget at the farmers’ market and let them shop for produce. (Money, classifying, measuring, bigger/smaller)
• Building projects: Measure wood, calculate area for painting or building, and estimate supplies. Measuring, estimating, money, time, ordinals, fractions, addition/subtraction, spatial relationships, word problems, problem solving)
• Games: Play board games that involve counting, strategy, or money like Monopoly or Yahtzee. (Money, problem solving, word problems, counting)

• Treasure hunts: Create scavenger hunts that use coordinates, counting clues, or simple maps. (map reading, spatial relationships, ordinals, shapes, money, before and after numbers, estimating, measuring) *this was my personal favorite as a kid*
• Nature walks: Count different kinds of flowers, trees, or birds and create simple graphs afterward. (Classifying, counting, simple graphs, fractions, bigger/smaller, estimating, ordinals, shapes)
• Sports: Track scores, calculate batting averages, count players or measure distances for a backyard Olympics. (counting, classifying, word problems, problem solving, simple graphs, division, measuring)
• Ice cream math: If you buy a pint of ice cream, ask how many scoops it can make if each scoop is about 1/2 cup! (Fractions, measuring, estimating)
• Play I-Spy: Wow, this is one of those activities that can do just about anything you need it to! Keep it simple to start though until your kiddo gets the hang of it. This game is great to play while waiting in lines and other places kids (and parents) find terribly tiresome. (Shapes, colors, money, fractions, classifying, counting, spatial relationships, measuring)

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to incorporating math into fun activities! I’m sure you will come up with lots more! Above all, keep it fun!

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