10 Outdoor Math Activities to Keep Kids Engaged and Learning

10 Outdoor Math Activities to Keep Kids Engaged and Learning

As studious as a child may be, it’s important for them to have a balance of indoor and outdoor activities. Assignments and textbooks can get boring easily. Encourage kids to learn through exploration and creativity with these ten outdoor math activities.

1. Number Hunt

Get out in the backyard and hide numbered objects such as small rocks or sticks. Have your kids use an outdoor chalkboard to keep a count of how many they find.

2. Sidewalk Math

Use outdoor chalk to write math problems on the sidewalk. Let your kids solve them or, if they’re feeling creative, have them write and solve their own math problems.

3. Geometry Scavenger Hunt

Give your kids a list of shapes to find outside. They can use objects they find to create their own shapes or take pictures of natural objects that match the shapes on their list.

4. Measuring Nature

Take a hike in the park and bring along a measuring tape. Have your kids measure the distance between trees or the size of rocks to get them thinking about measurements and sizes.

5. Count the Beats

Have your kids count the beats of different bird songs or insect noises they hear. They can record their findings in a chart and compare the different sounds they hear.

6. Pattern Hopscotch

Draw a pattern on the ground with outdoor chalk and have your kids repeat it by jumping on the pattern. For example, create a pattern of three squares and have them jump on every third square.

7. Fraction Pizza

Use natural outdoor materials such as rocks and sticks to create a “fraction pizza”. Your kids can divide the pizza into slices to learn about fractions.

8. Water Math

Bring out a hose and bucket and let your kids experiment with water volume. Have them measure how much water each container can hold or make predictions about which container will fill up the fastest.

9. Number Tag

Play a game of tag but have the person who is “it” pick a number and then tag the person who is that number in the group. This activity gets kids moving while also teaching them to recognize numbers.

10. Math in the Garden

Plant a garden and have your kids measure the distances between plants or count how many seeds they’re using. They can also practice calculating how much soil they’ll need for different sized plants.

These outdoor math activities are a great way to get kids excited about learning while also soaking up the sun and fresh air. Incorporate these activities into their daily routine for a fun twist on traditional learning.