Maths is wonderful and magical! It is, after all, the only place where someone can buy 100 oranges and no one questions why!
We want children to see that maths is so much more than just answering a list of calculations or finding the area of shape. There are so many things to marvel at and enjoy and World Maths Day is the perfect opportunity!
In this blog, we have collated 6 ideas for World Maths Day activities you can do either at school or remotely!
1. Maths Through Stories
Stories are a great starting point to inspire children and get them talking about numbers and mathematical concepts.
On World Maths Day, spend time sharing books with a mathematical link. Children could also have a go at writing their own story with a maths twist.
You can find “The Story Of Plentiful” in our FREE Maths Download with accompanying activities and questions.
2. Fact Finding
There are lots of fascinating maths facts to explore. When did people start counting? When were numbers invented? Can you really go to infinity and beyond?
Start your World Maths Day by collecting all the children’s questions they have linked to maths and dedicate time throughout the day to find the answers.
Or, collect together a range of maths facts and turn them into a true or false activity. Keep some statements true and create some ‘false’ statements. Ask children to guess and then research to find out which are a truth and which are a lie.
There is a selection of maths facts in our FREE Maths Download to get you started.
3. Every Hour!
Celebrate maths every hour throughout the day with an hourly maths challenge. Collect some questions and write them on individual strips of paper. They could be quick mental maths questions or longer problems to solve. Put all of the strips of paper into a box (or hat) and pull one out each hour. Share it with your class and work together to answer it!
Resources such as the Maths Teaching Tins are ideal for question ideas.
4. Game for a Challenge?
So many games involve children using their maths knowledge, even if it is as simple as recognising numbers. Plan in time on World Maths Day for children to play some games that involve maths. It could be a board game, card game or a physical game, such as targets with numbers or calculations. TTS has a range of Maths Games available if you want to take it a step further.
Alternatively, you could set children the challenge to create their own game that includes maths concepts they have been learning about. There are example instructions for this in our FREE Maths Download.
5. Brain teasers, problems and more …
Try some challenges, brain teasers or problems that are a bit different from your usual maths lesson. There is a selection of brain teasers in our FREE Maths Download to get you started.
NRICH is also a great resource to find lots of problems, games or challenges that will get children using their mathematical knowledge whilst having fun!
For the answers to the brain teasers, click here.
6. Tell A Joke
Add humour and laughter to your day with some maths themed jokes. A quick search online can bring up lots of options or ask children to create their own joke to share.
Some personal favourites are:
- What did zero say to eight? Nice belt!
- Why was 6 scared of 7? Because 7 8 (ate) 9!
- Why did the maths book look so sad? Because it had so many problems!
And of course, every great day ends with a certificate! Celebrate everyone’s involvement with our FREE downloadable World Maths Day 2021 certificate.
Please do share your World Maths Day activities with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
