maths at home Archives - operationmaths.ie

June 1, 2020
Operation Maths
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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Time

Dear Family, below is a brief guide to understanding the topic of time, as well as some practical suggestions as to how you might support your children’s understanding at home. Also below, are a series of links to digital resources that will help both the children, and you, learn more about length. The digital resources are organised according to approximate class level:

Junior & Senior Infants
First and Second classes
Third to Sixth classes

Junior Infants to Second Class — **You can also find class specific tips at the back of your child’s Operation Maths At Home book, for infants to second class, and in the Operation Maths Dear Family letters for third to sixth class.**

Understanding Time

Although time plays a very important role in everybody’s life, it can be quite a difficult concept to grasp:

Unlike our number system, time is not built around a base-ten system. All of the other maths topics in measures (i.e. money, weight, capacity and length) are all built around units of ten, one hundred, one thousand and so on e.g. 100 c in €1; 1,000m in 1 km etc. But time is totally different: 60 seconds in a minute; 60 minutes in an hour; 24 hours in day; 7 days in a week; 4 and a bit weeks in each month; 12 months in a year etc.
While we can’t see or touch time, we have ways to record and show it, but again, there are many different ways to do this: sand timers, sun dials, analogue clocks and watches, digital watches and displays (which can be either 12 or 24 hour), calendars etc.
Time is not the same all around the world; each country belongs to a time zone and the time is different in each time zone.
Judging how much time has passed can be quite difficult, as it depend on what we are doing; we all have experienced how time can drag, or it can fly when having fun.

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Talk about time all of the time! When you wake up your child in the morning, (or he/she wakes you!) announce the time and day; how many school days left before the weekend; how long before you need to leave the house; the start time for the sport’s practice or music lesson; dinner time etc. Give your child a set amount of time to complete a task or chore. Try to become a type of talking clock yourself, constantly announcing the time of day and the time left/needed to do something. This will help develop your child’s own internal sense of time.
What are we doing today? Involve your child in planning trips, visits and outings: what time do we need to leave to arrive there on time; what time do we need to get up at? How long is it going to take you to get ready? Highlight the importance of punctuality and being on time as a valuable life skill: we need to leave the house at 20 to 9 if we are going to get to the school for 9, etc.
Lots of clocks! Try to have plenty of time devices around your home, and of different types, for your child to become familiar with the many different ways to measure time. It is never too soon to have a clock in your child’s own room and/or for them to wear their own watch; however, first clocks and watches should be of the analogue type (i.e. with hands and a face) rather than digital. Even if your child is not able to read the time on the analogue clock face yet, noticing and becoming aware of the movement of the hands and their direction (clockwise) helps develop your child’s sense of the passage of time, a valuable learning experience that will be built upon when ready.

Buying a clock: While children need to be flexible, and to be able to tell time using a variety of different time devices, if you decide to buy a first clock or watch for your child, there are some clock features you should consider before you buy (click here to see some suitable examples):
- All the numbers 1-12 (not roman numerals) shown clearly.
- Minute intervals (i.e. little lines) shown clearly around the edge of the face.
- A minute hand that is long enough to show that it is pointing beyond the numbers (which mark the hours) out to the minutes around the edge (the purpose of the long minute hand is to point out to the minutes).
Hour is key: When your child asks “what time is it?” ask them to try to work out what the time is roughly for themselves. When looking at an analogue clock, they should always look first at the short hour hand: which number is it pointing to (or closest to)? Then, that is the (nearest) hour. The minute hand only helps us refine that approximate time. When looking at an digital display, they should always look at the first digit; that is the hour that it was last. This is another example of why analogue is better than digital: it is possible to gauge the actual time more accurately using only the hour hand on an analogue clock, than using only the hour on a digital display.
Mark the date: Have calendars and/or weekly charts/diaries visible around your home. Use the calendar to mark events that would be important to your child, like birthdays, holidays, Christmas, school concert etc. Involve your child: if there is space available to do so, he/she can mark these important dates using words and/or pictures. Also try to have calendars that start with Monday, since Monday is officially the first day of the week (read on here for more interesting info on this). On weekly charts, mark repeat events like sports practices, lessons etc.
Dot, dot NOT dot! When writing or texting a time in digital format (e.g. See you at 6:30) always use a colon (two dots) rather than a single dot (i.e. don’t write 6.30). Firstly, a colon is what is used most often on actual digital displays. Secondly, a dot is identical to a decimal point (e.g. 2.5 meaning 2 and a half or the decimal point used when writing money e.g. €1.20) which, mathematically, is used with numbers on the base-ten system. And time, as we said earlier, does not work on a base-ten system. So using a single dot for writing time, may only confuse children.
24 hour & 12 hour: For the older children, draw their attention to 24 hour time and encourage them to translate 24 hour to 12 hour with a.m. or p.m. and vice versa. Most phones, devices and smart watches have the option to display either version, so perhaps set these to 24 hour time to provide your child with more opportunities to become familiar with it.
When is it on? When does it leave? Highlight also any timetables and schedules that the household might use, or refer to, for example TV listings on an Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), cinema timetables, transport timetables (e.g. bus and train), flight arrival and departure times. In the case of an upcoming flight for a family vacation, encourage the children to identify the arrival and departure times and to use this information to calculate flight time. If there appears to be a difference between the outgoing and incoming flight times, can the child explain this, i.e. does he/she notice that flight arrival and departure times are always given as local time and that the destination may be in a different time zone?

Digital Resources for Infants

NB: By the end of senior infants, children are expected to be able to tell time to the nearest hour.

Time - BBC Bitesize BBC Bitesize – Time: Nice images and a song to explore the structure of the typical day for a young child.

White Rose Maths – Time: A lesson for Year 1 on Time to the Hour.

Matholia – Time: A video lesson on Telling Time to the Hour.

Telling the Time in Words - Mathsframe Telling the time in words: Look at the clock and find the matching time in words. Do the first level only, reading time to the nearest hour.

Interactive Math Lesson | Place Value (Up to 99) I Know It! – Days of the Week: Answer questions about the Days of the Week.

Seasons and Days of the Week. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. (Please note that the class levels given do not always align accurately with the content of the Irish Primary Curriculum.)

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

NB: By the end of second class, children are expected to be able to tell time to quarter hour intervals.

White Rose Maths – Time: Lessons for Year 1 on Time to the Hour, Time to the Half Hour, Writing Time and Comparing Time. Lessons for Year 2 on o’Clock and Half Past and Quarter To and Past.

Matholia – Time: A series of video lessons, including Telling Time to the Hour, Telling Time to the Half Hour, Quarter Past and Quarter To.

Telling time (labeled clock) (video) | Time | Khan Academy Khan Academy – Time: Watch the video to learn about time and then answer the practice questions. You can also register for a free Khan Academy account to record your progress and explore other areas of Early Math.

Let’s make a Calendar: From Starfall, this builds an interactive calendar for the current month and asks questions. NB: This is a US site so the calendar starts with Sunday, not Monday and includes the US holidays and feasts.

Using a calendar: From Maths Frame, 3 levels of questions about the current month. Start on level 1 and move up a level when confident.

Mr. Nussbaum - Calendar Clowns - Online Game Calendar Clowns: Answer a host of questions based on the calendar given.

Telling the Time in Words - Mathsframe Telling the time in words: Look at the clock and find the matching time in words. 5 different levels: reading time to the nearest hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes or minute, which can be played as timed or untimed games.

Telling the time: Read the time on an analogue clock. Lots of choice over levels, including: reading time to the nearest hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes or minute. Options include using a 24 hour clock and seeing how many correct answers you can get in a given time.

View details - Scootle Time Tools: Match analogue and digital times, on the hour and half hour. Click on start to learn more about time (tell me more tab), telling time to any minute interval and to try out other challenges and games (other tabs along top).

Time Matcher | Date and Time Conversions Game | RoomRecess.com Time Matcher: Memory game where you match equivalent amounts of time eg 1 week, 7 days etc

Search Results at RoomRecess.com Time Teller: Tell the time game with 6 different levels, from half hour to minute intervals, and solving elapsed time problems in hours and/or minutes.

Adding Time Word Problems - Mathsframe Adding Time Problems: Quiz game where you’ve to read the problems and work out the answer. Lots of options and levels.

ictgames || Time & Measure Hickory, Dickory, Clock: Read the time at the bottom of the screen and chose the matching clock. Three levels available.

Clock Splat - match to splat the clocks | Early math, Fun math, Second grade math Clock Splat: Find the digital time that matches the analogue time and Splat! Options include hours, half hours and quarter hours.

That Quiz – Time: This quiz has lots of options, on the left hand side, that can be changed to suit the ability of the child. Ensure that the level is set to 1. Each time do the set 10 questions, if you get 10 or 9 correct go up a level, if not stay at that level. There are lots of different types of activities: For Simple clock (it automatically starts on this) you must type in the digital time; if you set it to Time passed you must identify the amount of elapsed time from first to second time.

Interactive Math Lesson | Place Value (Up to 99) I Know It! – Time: Scroll down to Time to do any of the activities. There are some more advanced activities in the second grade section.

Time: a selection of games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. (Please note that the class levels given do not always align accurately with the content of the Irish Primary Curriculum.)

Math Games: a whole suit of times games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

Clocks - Digital and Analog Time: Background information on money from Maths is Fun, including Analog and Digital Clock Animation, Time: AM/PM and 24 Hour Clock, Adding and Subtracting Time and World Time Zones

White Rose Maths – Time: Lessons on Telling Time to 5 Minutes 1, Telling the Time to 5 Minutes 2, Hours and Days, Durations of Time, Compare Durations of Time. For 5th and 6th, check out Converting Units of Time & Timetables.

Matholia – Time: Lessons on Telling Time (Past & To), Telling Time AM & PM, Duration of Time 1 and Duration of Time 2.

Telling time with number line (video) | Time | Khan Academy Khan Academy – Time: A unit of work exploring time, including how to read time to minute intervals, time on a number line and elapsed time. You can also register for a free Khan Academy account to record your progress and explore other areas and/or try more difficult material.

Splash Learn – Time Games: for Third Grade.

Elapsed Time Number-Line | The Avery Bunch Elapsed time number lines: A video from the Avery Bunch, showing how Marshall and Amanda solve elapsed time problems using number lines.

Using a Calendar - Mathsframe Using a calendar: From Maths Frame, 3 levels of questions about the current month. Start on level 1 and move up a level when confident.

Mr. Nussbaum - Calendar Clowns - Online Game Calendar Clowns: Answer a host of questions based on the calendar given.

ictgames || Time & Measure Hickory, Dickory, Clock: Read the time at the bottom of the screen and chose the matching clock. Three levels available.

Time Matcher | Date and Time Conversions Game | RoomRecess.com Time Matcher: Memory game where you match equivalent amounts of time eg 1 week, 7 days etc

Search Results at RoomRecess.com Time Teller: Tell the time game with 6 different levels, from half hour to minute intervals, and solving elapsed time problems in hours and/or minutes.

Adding Time Word Problems - Mathsframe Adding Time Problems: Quiz game where you’ve to read the problems and work out the answer. Lots of options and levels.

Find the Start Time - Mathsframe Find the start time: Quiz game where you’ve to read the problems and work backwards to identify the correct start time. Lots of options and levels.

Interactive Math Lesson | Place Value (Up to 99) I Know It! – Time: (Third Grade) Scroll down to Time to do any of the activities. There are some more advanced activities in the fourth grade section.

Math Games: a whole suit of times games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

May 24, 2020
Operation Maths
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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Chance

Tags : Chance dear family maths at home

Category : Uncategorized

Dear Family, below is a brief guide to understanding the topic of chance (for 3rd-6th classes only), as well as some practical suggestions as to how you might support your children’s understanding at home. Also below, are a series of links to digital resources that will help both the children, and you, learn more about chance. The digital resources are organised according to approximate class level:

Third and Fourth classes
Fifth and Sixth classes

Understanding Chance

Chance is one of the most interesting, and fun, areas of primary maths, since it is mostly about probability, i.e. identifying the possible outcome(s) of random events. In school, the children are furst introduced to chance in school, where we use language such as impossible, (highly) unlikely, may or may not, possible, (highly) likely, certain, etc., to describe the likelihood of events occurring.

Children in 5th and 6th classes are also encouraged to use more mathematical ways, including using fractions, decimals and percentages, to express probability and predict the likelihood of something happening e.g. 100% certain, a 1 in 4 chance, 50/50, etc.

However, it is also important that the children realise that, no matter how accurate a mathematical prediction, the actual outcome(s) is not certain (except in the unlikely case where there is only one possible outcome); that is the element of chance! For example, when I toss a six-sided dice, each number has a equal chance of coming up. Therefore, if I do this repeatedly for a number of times, I could expect to see equal occurrences of each number. Yet that might not happen in reality! But, it is most often the case, that if you repeat this type of investigation enough times, the actual results WILL end up being very close to the predicted outcomes. In other words, the more you do something, the more likely it will happen as predicted.

Many of the activities in the Operation Maths books are specifically designed to explore and investigate this. So try them and see!

Practical Suggestions for all Children

With your children, talk about ‘chance’ whenever you have the chance (excuse the pun!):
- What is the chance that you’ll go to school today?
- What is the chance that you’ll get homework today?
- What is the chance that you’ll get to watch TV or get to play computer games?
- What is the chance that it will be warm tomorrow, that it will rain, that it will snow?
- What factors affect the likelihood of these events occurring? For example, the day that it is, the time of year, whether the child has done their chores etc.
Encourage your children to use chance words as accurately as possible, especially the words impossible and certain. For example:
- On a sunny day, what is the chance of rain? Unlikely or highly unlikely you could say, but it wouldn’t be correct to say impossible, because anything is possible!
- On a day when you have organised to do something e.g. go shopping, what is the chance of it happening? Likely or highly likely, because it is already organised, but it is not certain, because again anything could happen to disrupt the well-made plans, like the car mightn’t start.
- If I toss a 6-sided dice once, what is the chance of getting a 7? Now that’s impossible! What is the chance of getting a number from 1 to 6? That is certain!
Children in 5th and 6th should be encouraged to also use fractions, decimals and percentages to express probability e.g. 100% certain, a 1 in 4 chance, 50/50, etc.
Many games are designed around random outcomes so play board games, card games, dice games, any type of game where you can’t know from the outset who will definitely be the winner! Ask the children before you play, and as you play, who do they think will win and why; perhaps somebody in the family is a dab hand at rolling sixes, is a card shark or after a number of turns is already way ahead of everybody else. At the end of the game did that person win? Perhaps, on this occasion, a person was dealt “bad” cards, or the dice didn’t fall as hoped for, or another player caught up and overtook the early leader. Or maybe not! Experiences like this, help the children appreciate how lots of different factors can influence and affect an outcome, and that they can predict winners or outcomes based on the best information that they have at the time, but that the predicted outcome may or may not materialise.
Study the weather! Look at the sky and discuss the chances of rain, sun, snow, lightning etc. Look up Met Éireann’s website to find out the weather forecast for your area and then, afterwards, discuss whether the predicted weather arrived. Again, while meteorology, the study of weather, is a science in itself, it is still involves using the best scientific information available at the time to predict the weather, which, in the end, may or may not happen.
Sport provides us with an abundance of opportunities to discuss chance:
- What are the chances of a particular team or individual winning a game, match, fight, competition or race?
- Before the event could you predict an outcome?
- What information about the competitors or teams might be useful to influence this predication?
Draw the children’s attention to any other situation where chance plays a role e.g. the chances of winning a raffle or the lottery.

Digital Resources for Third & Fourth Classes

Random Dice! Interactive online chance tools: No dice at home? Don’t want to have to make up a spinner? There are lots of interactive tools and random chance games here.

Learning Odds | Money Games | 8-12 years | MoneySense What are the odds? Interactive dice simulator, choose from 12, 20 or 30-sided dice, simulate making hundreds of rolls at once, and log the results automatically for analysis. Or just use it to play games!

Distance Learning - FCPS - YouTube FCPS – Probability: A series of instructional videos for Grades 3 and 4. The videos for Grade 3 cover how to Describe all Possible Outcomes (video 1), Justify Likelihood of Outcomes (video 2), Real Life Scenarios (video 3), Modeling Probability.

The videos for Grade 4 cover Intro to Probability (video 1), using Combinations (video 2), using Fractions to Describe Probability (video 3), Creating Probability Models.

Matholia – Chance: A simple video, for 3rd class, on will, won’t or might happen.

The slushy sludger: questions The Slushy Sludger Use your knowledge of probability to predict what kind of slushy you are likely to get from the choices on offer.

Impossible? Unlikely? Get seriously foul, gross drinks in The Vile ...

The Vile Vendor Probability Game Use your understanding of chance to work out the likelihood of getting these vile drinks!

Climber Probability Math Game for Kids | Toy Theater Climber Probability Game: Help the climber reach the top by clicking on the colour that you think will win the spin.

Image result for https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Bobbie-Bear/ Bobbie Bear: Explore combinations using this virtual tool; how many different outfits can Bobbi Bear wear on holiday

Softschools.com – Probability Quiz: What is the probability of the spinner landing on certain letters?

Probability & Statistics: a selection of games from ixl.com. Choose the games from your class level. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription.

Math Games – Probability: games to practice predictions and probability skills; go to the activities for your class level.

Mathwire.com | Data Analysis & Probability Games Mathwire: Check out this page for more games that focus on probability.

Digital Resources for Fifth & Sixth Classes

Probability: Background information on probability and chance from Maths is Fun

Random Dice! Interactive online chance tools: No dice at home? Don’t want to have to make up a spinner? There are lots of interactive tools and random chance games here.

Learning Odds | Money Games | 8-12 years | MoneySense

What are the odds? Interactive dice simulator, choose from 12, 20 or 30-sided dice, simulate making hundreds of rolls at once, and log the results automatically for analysis. Or just use it to play games!

Distance Learning - FCPS - YouTube FCPS – Probability: This series of instructional videos for Grade 5 cover how to explore probability using Lists and Charts (video 1), using Tree Diagrams (video 2), using Fractions to Express Probability (video 3), Determining the Number of Possible Outcomes (video 4).

Math Antics - Basic Probability - YouTube Basic Probability: A video from Math Antics, that introduces the concept of chance, language of chance and the probability line. Other suitable videos available include Calculating/Determining Chance and Chance Investigations.

Impossible? Unlikely? Get seriously foul, gross drinks in The Vile ...

The Vile Vendor Probability Game Use your understanding of chance to work out the likelihood of getting these vile drinks!

Climber Probability Math Game for Kids | Toy Theater Climber Probability Game: Help the climber reach the top by clicking on the colour that you think will win the spin.

Adjustable Spinner Adjustable online spinner: use this to make up your own spinner, predict the outcome and and then investigate the actual outcomes.

PROBABILITY MODEL MATH ACTIVITY! - YouTube Using area models: For fifth and sixth class, Mashup Math has this excellent video which demonstrate how area models can be used to identify all possible outcomes.

Tree Diagrams Explained! - YouTube Using Tree Diagrams: Another excellent video from Mashup Math, this one demonstrates how tree diagrams can be used to identify all possible combinations.

Softschools.com – Probability Quiz: What is the probability of the spinner landing on certain letters?

Maths Frame – Probability Game: Work out the probability of scoring a number, or range of numbers, on a number spinner and answer in either fractions, decimals, percentages, or on a number line. Compare the probability of an event on two different number spinners and say which is more likely.

Mathwire.com | Data Analysis & Probability Games Mathwire: Check out this page for more games that focus on probability.

Probability & Statistics: a selection of games from ixl.com. Choose the games from your class level. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription.

Math Games – Probability: games to practice predictions and probability skills; go to the activities for your class level.

May 15, 2020
Operation Maths
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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Money

Tags : dear family maths at home Measures Money

Category : Uncategorized

Dear Family, below is a brief guide to understanding the topic of money, as well as some practical suggestions as to how you might support your children’s understanding at home. Also below, are a series of links to digital resources that will help both the children, and you, learn more about money. The digital resources are organised according to approximate class level:

Junior & Senior Infants
First and Second classes
Third to Sixth classes

Understanding Money

Difficult Topic? Although money plays a very common, and perhaps very important, part in every child’s life, money is not automatically easy or obvious to learn about:

Money comes in different colours, shapes and sizes, and in metal and paper forms (i.e. coins and notes), each of which has its own value.
Furthermore, outside of the Euro Zone, most countries have their own currency and denominations of coins. And, when changing currency, you cannot do a straight swap i.e. €1 doesn’t equal £1 or $1; the new value must be calculated using an exchange rate, which also varies.
Many children do not recognise that the euro coins and notes follow a specific pattern ie they always have a 1, 2 or 5 as the first digit (see image below). That is why, when asked to draw the coins required to make a given amount, many children will still often suggest coins that don’t exist eg 3c, 7c etc.
The sizes of the coins and notes are NOT proportional to their value i.e. a 20c coin is not twice as big as a 10c coin; a €100 note is not ten times the size of the €10 note.
Money can be expressed using the symbols € or c, but NOT using both at the same time. Sometimes there’s a decimal point; sometimes there’s not. And, when using the € sign, it comes first (even though €6 is said as “six euro” as opposed to “euro six”), whereas the c sign comes after the numeral.

So even though understanding and using money is a vital life skill, it can’t be taken for granted that children will easily “get” this understanding.

Furthermore, more and more, transactions are becoming cashless, as people use credit/debit cards, money apps, contactless and online payments more than ever before. In the recent past, coins and notes, were very much a regular part of a child’s experiences; watching others counting out coins and notes to pay for goods, perhaps handing over a larger amount than required and watching change being handed back. Because of cashless transactions, today’s children are missing out on essential opportunities to handle cash, and/or see it being handled in real-life situations. The increased use of plastic and contactless payments also limits the opportunities for people to use their maths skills to total mentally, calculate change etc.

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Cash is King: Since today’s children have less exposure to cash transactions, where possible, allow your child to handle real coins and notes.
- Collect coins in a jar and invite your child to count the money every so often to find out the total. Are there different ways to count mixed coins? What strategies might be better (more efficient)?
- If your child is not able to count up the total of amounts yet, then ask them to sort the coins into groups e.g. brown coins, gold coins, coins with two colours, coins with 1 on them, with 2 on them, with 5 on them etc (see also the Coins Game below). In particular, draw their attention to the fact that all the euro coins and notes only start with the digits 1, 2 or 5 and may or may not be followed by one or two zeros.
- Play shop at home. Use empty food containers etc., as goods to be bought/sold. Use play money or real coins for cash.
- If shopping with cash, involve your child: get them to handle the money, to identify the coins and/or most suitable amount to hand to the cashier and to predict (roughly or accurately, depending on the ability of the child) the change due back.
- If your child gets pocket money encourage them to talk about how much they have, how much they spend, how much they have left.
Can you afford it? Should you buy it? While cashless transactions might be more regular than cash ones, one thing that has remained constant is that we all still appreciate the value of money, and getting value for our money.
- Encourage your child to budget and save for upcoming events (Christmas, holidays etc.) and/or to purchase more expensive items ( eg bike, games console, phone etc). Discuss the amount of money required, how much they currently have, how much they could expect to earn and/or save each week, how long it will take for them to have the necessary amount. Encourage them to write down this information as a type of written budget or financial plan (see also the Budget Game below, for 3rd class up).
- When purchasing items encourage your child to consider its value, its cost, and whether a similar item be purchased elsewhere for less. Shop around, as they say, to research your options, whether in the actual or virtual (online) shops.
- When grocery shopping, keep an eye out for the advertised special offers and deals; are they good options? What about multi-packs; are they good value? If there are different multi-pack offers for the same product, which offer is the best value? But don’t forget that just because there is good value on offer, if we end up buying more of the product than we need, will it end up going to waste?
- Go through the till receipt together after shopping; what did you buy? What items cost the most? What items cost the least? What products cost about the same amount? Was there any product that you hadn’t realised cost so much or so little?
- When out shopping for clothes, give your child a limited amount to spend. It is amazing how value-driven this can make your child become, and more selective of what they will purchase!
- If you are comfortable allowing your child to use the internet, he/she could help research a holiday or break for the family. Examine together which destination has the best deal/offers, etc.
Money makes the world go round! As mentioned earlier, children may not realise that, outside of the Euro Zone, most countries have their own currency, and that, when changing currency, you cannot do a straight swap i.e. €1 doesn’t equal £1 or $1. Rather, the new value must be calculated using an exchange rate, which also varies. If going on holiday to a non-Euro Zone country, involve your child in researching the exchange rate, and calculating how much of the foreign currency they will get when they exchange their euro.

Digital Resources for Infants

Spot the coins | Students | MoneySense Spot the coins: Beginner level: Find the coins hidden in each picture. Advanced level: find the coins and order them according to value.

Coins Game for 4-10 year old children with sorting, ordering and counting GBPcoins activities. Updated fo… | Coin games, Money activities, Counting coins activities

Coins game: Click on the Euro flag to select euro coins. Start with Sorting to sort One Coin or Two Coins into the money box(es). Next try Ordering and Counting money. Start with the easier options in each section and move on if too simple and/or when confident.

Toy Shop Money Game (EUR) - 4 to 11 year olds - Topmarks | Money games for kids, Money games, Money activities

Toy Shop: Work out which coins will buy toy shop items, using just One Coin or Mixed Coins. In the Mixed Coins option you can also calculate change. Start with the easier options and move on if too simple and/or when confident.

5-8 | Students | MoneySense Keep Helen’s money safe: Read the story and decide what Helen should do with her money to keep it safe. Play ages 5-6

Moneyville | Seomra Ranga Moneyville is a fun and entertaining online virtual world that gives your child a basic understanding of the value of money and the basic principles behind earning and spending money. Suitable for children of 5 years and up.

My Money Week Resources - Young Enterprise & Young Money My Money Week: Run every year in the UK around May, this is a national activity week which aims to boost children’s skills, knowledge and confidence in money matters. To access the resources, you need to set up a free account, which requires email details etc and entering any UK postcode. Once registered and logged in, scroll down to the bottom of the primary resources and click on Start journey; this will start off a series of excellent videos on Max’s Day Out, in which Max is deciding how best he might spend the money that he got for his birthday. The videos are designed in such a way that each one presents two possible options; the viewer selects an option, which automatically brings them to the follow-up video for their choice. There are many other resources also available here that focus on managing money.

Money: a selection of games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. (Please note that the class levels given do not always align accurately with the content of the Irish Primary Curriculum.)

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

Spot the coins: Beginner level: Find the coins hidden in each picture. Advanced level: find the coins and order them according to value.

Coins Game for 4-10 year old children with sorting, ordering and counting GBPcoins activities. Updated fo… | Coin games, Money activities, Counting coins activities Coins game: Click on the Euro flag to select euro coins. Start with Sorting to sort One Coin or Two Coins into the money box(es). Next try Ordering and Counting money. Start with the easier options in each section and move on if too simple and/or when confident.

Toy Shop Money Game (EUR) - 4 to 11 year olds - Topmarks | Money games for kids, Money games, Money activities

Website Review: Maths Is Fun | EduStaff Maths is Fun – Money: Interactive games including Make the Amount, drag and drop the euro coins to make the required amount; Money Master, how fast can you give euro change.

5-8 | Students | MoneySense Keep Helen’s money safe: Read the story, decide what Helen should do with her money to keep it safe, and keep a record of the money that she gets along the way. Play ages 7-8.

My Money Week: Run every year in the UK around May, this is a national activity week which aims to boost children’s skills, knowledge and confidence in money matters. To access the resources, you need to set up a free account, which requires email details etc and entering any UK postcode. Once registered and logged in, scroll down to the bottom of the primary resources and click on Start journey; this will start off a series of excellent videos on Max’s Day Out, in which Max is deciding how best he might spend the money that he got for his birthday. The videos are designed in such a way that each one presents two possible options; the viewer selects an option, which automatically brings them to the follow-up video for their choice. There are many other resources also available here that focus on managing money.

Coin cruncher | Students | MoneySense Coin Cruncher: In this game you either select the correct coins to Make the Total or select the correct value for How much? There is an Easy level (no timer) and a Hard level (same question types but with a timer).

5-8 | Students | MoneySense The Change Game: Click on the correct amount of change that you should get back.

ThatQuiz.org | Amazing automatic quiz generator! Awesome fun ... That Quiz – Money: This quiz has lots of options, on the left hand side, that can be changed to suit the ability of the child. Ensure that the currency is set to Euro and the level is set to 1. Each time do the set 10 questions, if you get 10 or 9 correct go up a level, if not stay at that level. There are three different types of activities: For Identify (it automatically starts on this) you must type in the value of the cash shown; if you set it to Compare you must click on the amount of greater value; if you set it to Make change you must click on the cash required to make the correct change for the given transaction.

Adding Money Values: This video from Operation Maths allows the children to practice their addition of money skills.

Custom Car Garage: Select and pay for car accessories, using the correct coins. For first and second class, start at level one initially, and then go up levels as the child gets more competent.

Coconut Ordering Game: Select Prices and € to order amounts of euro

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

Money: Background information on money from Maths is Fun, including currencies, finding unit price, interest, investing money, etc. Often there are also related activities.

Problem-Solving - Is It a Bargain? | SchoolsWorld | Math problem ...

Is it a bargain? This fun mini-maths lesson gets pupils to use their mathematical ability to work out if so called ‘special offers’ are in fact good deals.

That Quiz – Money: This quiz has lots of options, on the left hand side, that can be changed to suit the ability of the child. Ensure that the currency is set to Euro and the level is set to 1. Each time do the set 10 questions, if you get 10 or 9 correct go up a level, if not stay at that level. There are three different types of activities: For Identify (it automatically starts on this) you must type in the value of the cash shown; if you set it to Compare you must click on the amount of greater value; if you set it to Make change you must click on the cash required to make the correct change for the given transaction.

Coconut Ordering Game: Select Prices and € to order amounts of euro

Space trader | Students | MoneySense Space Trader: Practice spotting value for money as you trade with three outlandish alien shopkeepers for a range of space commodities.

Calculating Unit Rates: For 5th & 6th classes, this visual video from MashUp Math explains how to calculate unit rates, which has applications in unitary value in money, averages, ratios and proportion etc

Sales Tax, Ratios and Proportions Practice Problem! - YouTube Find the Total Cost: Again for 5th & 6th classes, this video from MashUp Math explains how to find the total cost, involving sales tax, ratios and proportions.

8-12 | Students | MoneySense The Budget Game: Older children can explore the realities of budgeting, income and expenditure as well as how their own choices affect their money, well-being and enjoyment balances.

May 3, 2020
Operation Maths
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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Number Sentences and Equations

Tags : dear family maths at home

Category : Uncategorized

Dear Family, below is a brief guide to understanding the topic of number sentences & equations, as well as some practical suggestions as to how you might support your children’s understanding at home. Also below, are a series of links to digital resources that will help both the children, and you, learn more about number sentences & equations.

Understanding Number Sentences and Equations

Number sentences are a part of Algebra. Number sentences are mathematical sentences made up of numbers, symbols and/or signs eg

11 – 4 = 7
3 × 6 = 18
4 + 2 = 5 + 1
4 + 5 > 6 + 2
5 + ☐ = 9
14 – 🌳 = 8
y + 5 = 20

They can use simple numbers or be more complicated with bigger numbers, letters, fractions etc. Number sentences can be equations, where both sides are equal/balanced (4 + 2 = 5 + 1), or be unequal (4 + 5 > 6 + 2) where one side is greater than or less than the other side. Sometimes, the children are given complete number sentences and are asked to work out if they are true or false. More often, in primary maths, number sentences will have a frame or box to represent the missing value/number which must be worked out or solved e.g. 5 + ☐ = 9. The missing value may also be represented by a symbol or a letter (called a variable) eg 14 – 🌳 = 8, y + 5 = 20

An essential aspect of exploring number sentences is reading and interpreting correctly the signs and symbols. However, for children, the signs and symbols can be very confusing, because they can be so similar and yet all mean something completely different. Take for example + and ×; they are actually the same shape, but turned to look different. And they have very different meanings; the first means add and the second means multiply. Consider some of the other common maths signs: = ÷ – < >. These are all very similar to each other in design and shape, but very different in meaning. No wonder children can get confused! That is why, even though the children will come across number sentences in infants to second class, they will not actually explore this topic in depth, until they are in third class and higher.

Of all the signs used in maths, the equals sign (=) is one that is often misinterpreted. The sign itself is made of two identical lines, to indicate “same-ness”. So this sign is saying that the value of whatever comes before it, is identical to, or the same as, the value that comes after it e.g. 7 = 3 + 4. And sometimes there is more than one value on either side of the equals sign, so that each side has to be calculated to see if it is true e.g. 10 – 4 = 3 + 2 + 1 (Tip: the children could write the value for each side above/below that side so that it’s very obvious whether it’s true or not). The horizontal identical lines in the equals sign, also remind us of a balanced scales (see image below), where the total value/weight on both sides, is equal. When reading this sign with your child, always say “equals” or “is the same as”.

Number sentences are simply a mathematical way to represent a scenario or story. If I buy three big bars of chocolate, costing €1.50 each, I can show that information with these number sentences:

€1.50 + €1.50 + €1.50

3 x €1.50

So, often there can be more than one way to represent the information.

The child may be asked to represent a story or word problem with a number sentence. Or they may be asked to create a suitable story or word problem to match a given number sentence.

Whenever your child is working with word problems at home, encourage them to show it as a number sentence first, before they start to solve it. You can also ask them to show you how they sometimes use model drawings or number bond drawings (see image above) at school to help picture the problem. Drawings and diagrams are particularly useful as they encourage the child to see the “big picture” of the maths story, which can be a great help if they are finding the numbers and symbols difficult to interpret.

Sometimes your child might be given number sentences and asked to identify if they are true or false. To do this, it is not always necessary to work out both sides of the number sentence exactly. There is (usually) only one true or correct option, meaning that every other answer is incorrect or false. Encourage the children to use their estimation and number sense skills to quickly recognise when a statement is obviously false, e.g. in (c) below, two hundred and something and one hundred and something is definitely not bigger than 500 so I don’t need to work it out exactly to know that it is false. And while you might think this is a type of ‘cheat’ strategy, in reality, it is about using a more efficient approach, while also emphasising the value of estimation.

Now that you appreciate how confusing maths signs can be, don’t take it for granted that your child does, or will, understand the meaning of all the maths signs that they come across in their books. If your child is working with number sentences, ask them to read the sentence out loud for you and/or to tell you how their teacher verbalises certain signs. In school, we will often use a variety of language to describe a sign and sometimes that depends on the story that goes with the number sentence. For example, with the number sentence 7 x 9, that could be verbalised as seven multiplied by nine, seven groups of nine, seven nines etc. 20 ÷ 2 could be verbalised as twenty divided into two equal groups/parts, twenty divided by two, how many groups of two in twenty, etc.

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Encourage your child to read aloud every number sentence. For example for 11 – 4 = 7 say “eleven subtract/minus/takeaway four equals seven”. Ask them to suggest a matching scenario/story eg “I had 11 sweets and I ate 4, now I have 7 left” or “I have 11 sweets and you have 4, so I have 7 more than you” (ie the difference between our amounts). Always read = as “is the same as” or “equals”.
Ask your child to suggest how to represent the various maths scenarios that you encounter, as number sentences, e.g. how to work out the cost of a number of some items, the change that would be due after spending a certain amount, the number of sweets that everyone can get when a large bag is shared out, etc. Even if the child does not calculate an answer, it will benefit them to consider how the scenario might be shown using numbers and signs.
In Operation Maths, the children may be asked to identify the maximum and minimum amounts that could be used in a number sentence. Draw your child’s attention to incidences where maximum and minimum are used in everyday life:
- you have to be a minimum of 1.1m to go on a certain theme park ride
- the maximum number of passengers on the bus is 52
- the maximum speed on a motorway is 120 km/h
- a child must be a minimum of 15 kg to move from an infant seat to a booster seat in the car.
Whenever your child is working with word (maths story) problems at home, encourage them to show it as a number sentence or to make a drawing/diagram first, before they start to solve it.

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

Introduction to Algebra: information on basic algebra and how to balance equations from Maths is Fun.

Happy Numbers Fifth Grade: Do the activities in Module 5, Algebraic Expressions

That Quiz Gumball Math Tutorial - YouTube That Quiz – Arithmetic: Use this to practice different types of number sentences; then try Inequalities (greater than, less than). You can also choose different options from the menu on the left-hand side.

Interactive Math Lesson | Place Value (Up to 99)

I Know it! – Basic Algebra (Fourth Grade): Go to the Basic Algebra section to do any of the activities. You could also try the Basic Algebra section in Fifth Grade.

Number Sentences: Background information including definitions and examples from Splash Learn

Write Mathematical Expressions - Practice with Fun Math Worksheet Write expressions: A practice game from Splash Learn. Chose the correct number sentence to match the word sentence.

Thinking Blocks - Bar Modeling - MathPlayground - Maths Zone Cool ... Thinking Blocks: Practice making bar models that match word problems and then calculate and answer. Work through these in order, ie start with Thinking Blocks junior and if you feel that this is too easy then move onto the next set.

Number Balance - Maths Zone Cool Learning Games Number Balance: solve the equations by hanging tags on the correct number on the number balance. Has lots of different levels.

Sneak in Solving Linear Equations — SolveMe Mobiles – Mr. Orr is a ... SolveMe Mobiles: These are a series of hanging mobiles puzzles that may or may not be balanced, and using the information you have to work out the missing values. They start quite easy and then progress in difficulty. You can register for free so that you can save your progress. Scroll down to the end of the page to play.

iPuzzle Project | Transition to Algebra SolveMe Who am I: Another series of puzzles; this time you need to work out he mystery number from the clues given. They start quite easy and then progress in difficulty. You can register for free so that you can save your progress.

Are You Ready for 17 Awesome New Math Challenges? — Mashup Math Mashup Math Equation Puzzles: There are lots of colourful puzzles to solve here, often with a seasonal theme. Print them out and solve them or just view them on a screen and see if you can work out the value of the symbols on each line. You can also check out the Mashup Math website for more puzzles, videos etc.

Functions and Equations: a selection of practice games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. Start with the second class games and work up through the activities (Please note that the class levels used here don’t exactly match the class level content in the Irish maths curriculum).

April 19, 2020
Operation Maths
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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to 3-D Objects

Tags : 3-D dear family maths at home

Category : Uncategorized

Dear Family, listed below are some practical suggestions as to how you might support your children’s understanding of the maths topic of 3-D objects. Also below, are a series of links to digital resources that will help both the children, and you, learn more about 3-D objects. The digital resources are organised according to approximate class level.

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Naming shapes: 3-D is short for three dimensional, i.e objects with length, width and depth/height. In Operation Maths we refer to them as 3-D objects, so as to distinguish them from their flat, 2-D relations. 3-D objects can also be referred to as solid shapes and they include cubes, cuboids, spheres, cones, cylinders, pyramids, etc. Distinguishing between 2-D shapes and 3-D objects can be a bit confusing for both adults and children; for example, the shape of a real ball may be referred to as a circle, since, if a ball is drawn, or shown in a picture, then the flat, 2-D shape of the ball in the image is now a circle! But in reality, it is a 3-D object called a sphere. And a box is not a 2-D shape, it is a 3-D object called a cuboid, but the flat surface of a box is usually the 2-D shape of a rectangle or, sometimes, a square. So, if looking for 3-D objects at home, ask the children to examine and if possible pick up, actual objects, as opposed to flat representations of the shapes in a picture book or magazine.
3-D Shape hunts: Play games like “I spy, with my little eye, something the shape of a cube, cuboid, sphere” etc. Again, be careful that you affirm with your child that it is the entire object that you are looking at, as opposed to just a surface or a flat face of the object.

Lindt Lindor Chocolate Truffles Box 200g

Waffle cone 3D model - TurboSquid 1434894

Order Cadbury Drinking Chocolate 250g Online at Special Price in ... Quality Street tubs shrink again as new chocolate added to mix ...

Tesco in second cut price blunder as thousands snap up discount ...

Champions of Design: Toblerone

Maltesers - Wikipedia

Sweet! A great place to find 3-D shapes is in treats and their wrappings or containers. Next treat time, look carefully at your Maltesers (spheres), Toblerone box (triangular prism), Smarties container and Lindor chocolates box (both hexagonal prisms), tub of Quality Street (octagonal prism) Starburst/Opal Fruits (cuboid), mini-rolls and hot chocolate powder (both cylinders) and wafer cones (cone, of course!)
Properties: Each family of 3-D objects also has properties or characteristics that make them different from other 3-D objects. In the younger classes, the children will be exploring whether a 3-D object can roll, stack, slide etc. When out and about or helping around the house, children can be asked to name the 3-D objects that are easier to stack on shelves in the shop, in the cupboard etc? What 3-D objects might roll off a shelf? As the children get older, they will be exploring properties such as the number of corners (also called vertices), the number and type of edges (straight or curved), and the number and type of surfaces (flat faces or curved surfaces). Through developing a better understanding of what makes an object that 3-D object, the children can start to group 3-D objects with similar properties or characteristics together.
Take it apart! 3-D objects and 2-D shapes, as mentioned earlier, are very connected. Another way that children can explore this relationship is to take apart examples of 3-D objects. Boxes are ideal for this, so, before you put your boxes in the recycling bin, ask your child to tear it open along an edge so as to open it out flat and identify the 2-D shapes that make it. This is referred to as the 2-D net of a 3-D object. Did they see the 2-D shapes they expected to see?
Play, play, play! Encourage your child to play and explore with 3-D objects as much as possible:
- Lots of the toys that are aimed at preschool age children focus on 3-D shapes: wooden building blocks, shape sorter toys etc. Even older children can return to these toys and look at them in a new way to see what they can now discover and say about these shapes.
- Magformers , Geomag and 3-D puzzles are examples of toys specifically geared towards the construction of 3-D structures. Other toys that can be used to create 3-D structures include Lego, K’nex, Mega Bloks, Plus-Plus and Stickle Bricks/Bristle Blocks.
- Build anything! Use boxes and any objects from around the home to build, stack, etc. Without even realising it, the children will be exploring and learning about the properties of these shapes.
- Solve 3-D puzzles. Perhaps you have a Rubik’s Cube somewhere around the house? Or look out for other 3-D puzzles like Rubik’s Cage, Soma cube or Tetris Shake. Any of these these type of puzzles are a very worthwhile way to spend time!

Digital Resources for Infants

The Number Jacks have quite a number of 3-D shape-based episodes including Sphere today, Gone tomorrow, a Circle at both ends (cylinder) and Boxing Day.

3D Shapes Song | Shapes for kids | The Singing Walrus - YouTube 3-D Shapes Song: Introduces cone, cylinder, cube and sphere.

3-D Solids: A video lesson from Matholia introducing common solid (3D) shapes, including cubes, cuboids, cones, cylinders, spheres and pyramids.

I know it – Geometry & Shapes Try the solid shapes interactive quizzes for Kindergarten

Solid Shapes: A selection of games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. Activity L1-L7 are all about solid, 3-D objects.

Math Games: a whole suit of geometry games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

NB: Children in first and second may also enjoy the links for infant classes, above

Describing and Naming Solids - YouTube Describing and Naming Solids: A video lesson from Matholia describing the properties of common solid (3D) shapes, including cube, cuboid, cylinder, cone and sphere.

White Rose Geometry: a series of lessons on 2-D and 3-D shapes. These lessons could be followed up with other geometry lessons in year 2

What 3D shape am I? What Shape am I? Use the clues to identify the name of the 3-D object. Guess the name before you click on to see the answer.

How to Draw 3D Shapes - YouTube Drawing 3-D Objects: Video to show how to draw 3-D objects. Drawing is a great way to understand these shapes better.

I know it – Geometry & Shapes Scroll down to the interactive quizzes for Grade 1 and for Grade 2

3-D Shapes: A selection of games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. Activity N1-N10 are all about 3-D shapes.

Math Games: a whole suit of geometry games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

NB: Children in these classes may also enjoy the links for first and second classes, above

Maths is Fun: Background information on 3-D solids as a part of geometry.

Describing and Naming Solids: A video lesson from Matholia describing the the characteristics (e.g. faces, edges, corners) of common solid (3D) shapes, including cube, cuboid, cylinder, cone and sphere.

Khan Academy – Solid Shapes: Watch this series of videos on geometric solids and answer the practice questions.

Shapes: 3D shapes - BBC Teach

3-D Shapes: Lots of useful information about 3-D shapes from BBC Skillswise, including a video highlighting 3-D shapes in the real world.

Drawing 3-D Objects: Video to show how to draw 3-D objects. Drawing is a great way to understand these shapes better.

Image result for https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Cube-Nets/ Cube Nets: Can you predict which of these nets will form a cube? Make your prediction and then watch the animation to see if you were correct.

IXL: A selection of geometry games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription.

I know it – Solid Shapes: Interactive quiz for Grade 3 and another one for Grade 4

Kangaroo Hop Power your kangaroo by recognizing shapes. How many ... Kangaroo Hop: Get your kangaroo to the finish line first by choosing the correct 2-D or 3-D shapes.

Math Games: a whole suit of geometry games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

3-D shape quiz: For 5th or 6th class or those looking for a challenge!

Operation Maths
-

Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to 2-D Shapes

Tags : 2-D dear family maths at home shape and space

Category : Uncategorized

Dear Family, given below is a brief guide to understanding the topic of 2-D shapes, as well as some practical suggestions as to how you might support your children’s understanding at home. Also below, are a series of links to digital resources that will help both the children, and you, learn more about 2-D shapes. The digital resources are organised according to approximate class level:

Infant classes
First and second classes
Third to sixth classes

Understanding 2-D Shapes

Why do children need to learn about shapes? Learning to recognise different shapes not only helps children learn about this maths topic, but, in the early years, it also develops their ability to recognise numbers and letters by their shape. This skill will also transfer to other signs and symbols, be they maths symbols such as +, =, <, > etc., or signs and symbols in the real world e.g. road signs, safety signs etc.

Naming shapes: 2-D shapes is short for two dimensional shapes, i.e. shapes with length and width, but not depth/height. Also called flat shapes, these include circles, squares, rectangles, triangles etc. 2-D shapes can be a bit confusing for both adults and children; for example, a real ball is not a 2-D shape, it is a 3-D object called a sphere, but if a ball is drawn, or shown in a picture, then the flat representation of the ball in the image is now a circle! And a box is not a 2-D shape, it is a 3-D object called a cuboid, but the flat surface of a box is usually the 2-D shape of a rectangle or sometimes a square. So, if looking for 2-D shapes at home, ask the children to examine the flat surface of objects and/or to look at the flat shapes in a picture book or magazine.

Properties of Shapes: 2-D shapes also have properties or characteristics that make them different from other 2-D shapes. A shape with three straight sides and three angles (also referred to as corners or vertices) is always a triangle…but as the children get older they will also realise that some triangles have three equal sides (equilateral), some triangles have only two equal sides (isosceles) and some have no equal sides (scalene). Through an understanding of what makes a shape that shape, the children can start to group shapes with similar properties or characteristics together. So, if exploring 2-D shapes, draw the children’s attention to properties such as the number and type of sides (equal, not equal, straight or curved), the number and type of angles/vertices (equal, not equal, right angles or not).

Children in the senior end of primary school will further classify shapes into named groups, for example, they will identify different types of triangles, polygons (any shape with straight, non-curved sides) and quadrilaterals (four sided shapes, quad = four) and explore the different properties (size/shape of angles, length of sides) that make each one unique. They will learn more detailed terminology about the parts of shapes, especially the parts of a circle. They will also be asked to solve various problems (for example finding the measure of an unknown angle or side) based on what they know already. This is preparing them for the type of geometry they will meet in second-level maths.

Practical Suggestions for Supporting Children

Shape hunts: Play games like “I spy, with my little eye, something the shape of a rectangle” etc. Again, be careful that you affirm with your child that it is the surface or face of, for example, the door, that is a rectangle, not the entire door (which is in fact another cuboid i.e. a 3-D object). Look out for 2-D shapes on posters, road signs, billboards, wallpaper and in picture books. With older children, encourage them to notice that while each shape group has a key feature in common, each individual shape is different; for example while every triangle must have 3 sides, they also can have different size angles and sides. Look around for different triangles!
Play, play, play! Encourage your child to play and explore with 2-D shapes as much as possible:
- Make 2-D shapes with sticks, string, playdoh, pastry, creating imprints in sand, mud, pastry, etc. Use construction toys such as Lego, K’nex, Geomag and Plus-Plus to create 2-D shapes and then build them further into 3-D structures.
- Draw 2-D shapes and cut them out, create pictures, patterns, designs etc. Perhaps you have a spirograph toy somewhere in the house? Dig it out and give it a spin (excuse the pun!).
- Solve shape puzzles. One of these are tangram puzzles. This ancient Chinese 7-piece puzzle, provides an excellent way to develop a child’s ability to manipulate and visualise shapes. You can often buy reasonably priced plastic or wooden tangram puzzles in local book and toy shops. You can also print out a set of trangram pieces and use them to solve the numerous puzzles available on line. Or you can play an interactive tangram puzzle game.
- Other very worthwhile shape puzzles include tetrominoes (like the Tetris game of old) and pentominoes. You can also download games, based on many of these shape puzzles to your device; just search your app store for tangrams, tetrominoes/tetris and/or pentominoes.
Programming If your child does programming, or is interested in trying it out, they could use a free programme such as Scratch to draw various types of 2-D shapes.

Digital Resources for Infants

The Number Jacks have quite a number of 2-D shape-based episodes including Round and Round, Square Dancing and Very Shapely.

Shapes Songs Collection: a collection of songs that teach children the names of common shapes. For more links to shape videos and songs, click here.

Identifying and Naming 2D Shapes: A video lesson from Matholia identifying common 2D shapes in the environment. Follow this up with 2-D Shapes, a video lesson further exploring common flat (2-D) shapes, including squares, circles, triangles and rectangles.

Happy Numbers Pre-Kindergarten: Pupils could start the activities in Module 2, Topic A, and then progress to the Shape activities in Kindergarten, Module 2 also.

Shape Monsters: an ideal introduction to 2-D shapes for young children. Children need to feed the monsters with the correct shapes. The monsters then say the name of the shape they’ve eaten.

Pattern Blocks: Make numerous designs, pictures etc with these interactive pattern blocks. You can also choose a puzzle to complete.

Geoboard: Make lots of different shapes using this interactive geoboard, free from the Math Learning Centre.

Kid’s Tangrams: a simple version of the puzzle that would suit infants.

Flat Shapes: A selection of games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. Activity K1-K6 are all about flat, 2-D shapes.

Math Games: a whole suit of geometry games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

NB: Children in first and second may also enjoy the links for infant classes, above

White Rose Geometry: a series of lessons on 2-D and 3-D shapes. These lessons could be followed up with other geometry lessons in year 2

Khan Academy – Shapes (First Grade): Watch the videos and then answer the practice questions. Afterwards, for something more challenging, look at the Second Grade Activities. You can also register for a free Khan Academy account to record your progress and explore other topics/grades.

Happy Numbers First Grade: Pupils could start the activities in Module 5, Topic A.

Tangram Puzzles for Kids • ABCya! Tangrams: interactive puzzle pieces that can be rotated to complete the shape.

Shapes in Figures - YouTube Shapes in Figures: A video lesson from Matholia that explores the 2-D shapes in other figures.

Describing and Naming Shapes - YouTube Describing and Naming Shapes: A video lesson from Matholia describing the properties of common flat (2D) shapes, including squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, semi-circles and quarter circles.

2D Shapes - YouTube Who am I? A video lesson where children have to identify the 2-D shapes from their properties and pictures. The shapes at the beginning are those relevant to first and second classes and the latter shapes are more relevant to 3rd class up.

* NEW * 2D Shapes What Am I Description Matching Cards What am I? Read the clue on the card; do you know what shape is being described? These are printable but they could also be downloaded, read out and answered out loud, without having to print.

Visit Thatquiz.org - ThatQuiz. That Quiz Shapes: lots of different options here; start with “identify” and chose the shape names and level of difficulty to suit.

Pattern Blocks: Make numerous designs, pictures etc with these interactive pattern blocks. You can also choose a puzzle to complete.

Geoboard: Make lots of different shapes using this interactive geoboard, free from the Math Learning Centre.

2-D Shapes: A selection of games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription. Activity M1-M5 are all about 2-D shapes.

Math Games: a whole suit of geometry games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

NB: Children in these classes may also enjoy the links for first and second classes, above

Maths is Fun: Background information on 2-D shapes as a part of geometry.

Matholia: Various video lessons from Matholia exploring the properties or characteristics of a rectangle, square, triangle, rhombus and trapezium.

2D shape who am I? What shape am I? This time you have to identify the shapes just from their properties. Make sure you guess before clicking on to see the answer!

Visit Thatquiz.org - ThatQuiz. That Quiz Shapes: lots of different options here; start with “identify” and chose the shape names and level of difficulty to suit.

Visit Thatquiz.org - ThatQuiz. That Quiz Triangles: lots of different options here; to identify different triangles, to calculate the measure of the angles, perimeter, area etc. Just chose the options and level of difficulty to suit.

2-D Shapes: Lots of useful information about 2-D shapes from BBC Skillswise, including a video highlighting 2-D shapes in the real world.

Pienado: A 2-D shape adventure game where you need to use 2-D shapes, in various positions, to plug gaps in a forcefield.

Classifying Triangles: a video which shows how all triangles are not the same.

IXL: A selection of geometry games from ixl.com. You can do a number of free quizzes each day without having a subscription.

Kangaroo Hop Power your kangaroo by recognizing shapes. How many ... Kangaroo Hop: Get your kangaroo to the finish line first by choosing the correct 2-D or 3-D shapes.

Properties of shapes | 5th grade | Math | Khan Academy Khan Academy – Properties of Shapes (5th and 6th class): Watch this series of videos on triangles and quadrilaterals and answer the practice questions

Math Game: Quadrilaterals I know it – Quadrilaterals: Interactive quiz

Coordinate plane | 5th grade | Math | Khan Academy Khan Academy – Coordinates: (6th Class) Watch this series of videos and answer the practice questions

Visit Thatquiz.org - ThatQuiz. That Quiz Coordinates: (6th Class) From the options on the left hand side select identify/plot/both and quadrants I.

Polygon quiz: Name the polygons by dragging the names into the correct places.

Math Games: a whole suit of geometry games, for all class levels; choose the skill you want to practice.

operationmaths.ie

Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Time

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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Time

Understanding Time

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Digital Resources for Infants

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Chance

Understanding Chance

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Digital Resources for Third & Fourth Classes

Digital Resources for Fifth & Sixth Classes

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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Money

Understanding Money

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Digital Resources for Infants

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to Number Sentences and Equations

Understanding Number Sentences and Equations

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to 3-D Objects

Practical Suggestions for all Children

Digital Resources for Infants

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

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Dear Family, your Operation Maths guide to 2-D Shapes

Understanding 2-D Shapes

Practical Suggestions for Supporting Children

Digital Resources for Infants

Digital Resources for First and Second Classes

Digital Resources for Third to Sixth Classes

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