Dinner preparation offers the perfect chance to bolster your child’s or grandchild’s early learning development. Let the young kids assist you in getting ready for the meal, and they can learn math skills in a fun way.

Start your adventures in math at the grocery store as you shop for meal ingredients. In picking them out, ask your child to tell you the color and shape while counting the items in the grocery cart.

Before your little sous-chefs begin helping you cook, have the following materials ready: apron, measuring cups, teaspoons, serving spoon and pre-prepared ingredients. Teach them measurements as you mix the ingredients.

With a timer, clock or stopwatch, your little ones can measure how long it takes for the meal to bake. Review numbers with the kids by counting down the last few moments before the food comes out of the oven.

There are many other ways to incorporate math into your small child’s everyday life. Use tips like these to introduce math concepts routinely:

1. Count it out. Count out loud when serving snacks. Use expressions like “You have more crackers than I do” to make contrasts.

2. Talk math. Make comparisons such as “big” and “little” or “more” and “fewer.” “Heavy” and “light” introduce the concept of volume and mass. “Long” and “short” teach measurement.

3. Measure heights. Use a tape measure or yardstick to compare your child’s height to your own. Make a game of measuring other things around the house.

For more tips on how to teach math through everyday activities, visit the Parents and Families section at ARBetterBeginnings.com. 

Better Beginnings, a program of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, connects Arkansas families with information and care that helps their children experience a safe, happy, healthy childhood. Better Beginnings is designed to improve the level of quality in childcare and early childhood education programs across the state. To find a Better Beginnings facility, visit ARBetterBeginnings.com or call (800) 445-3316.