Halloween math is a great way to motivate kids to actually want to do math. Let’s face it, math isn’t always a favorite subject. But it will quickly become a favorite when you add a Halloween twist to math practice. There are many different skills that can be practiced by adding a Halloween twist to math practice. Below are my three favorite ways to get kids excited about math as Halloween approaches. 
1. Grab Some Pumpkins There are many different Halloween math activities that can be done with a few pumpkins. Get about 6 or 7 pumpkins and label each of them with a letter or to make it even more fun let the kids give each one a name. Now the kids can get involved in estimating and measuring. Have them order the pumpkins according to weight, from the smallest to the largest. Then they can estimate how much each pumpkin weights. They can also estimate the circumference of each pumpkin and then the height and width of each one. If this is a bit difficult for the kids, do the measuring for one of the pumpkins first so that the kids will have some idea of the mass and measurements on one pumpkin before they do their estimating for the others. 
After all of the estimating has been done it is time to start measuring. Get out the scales and some measuring tapes and record the weight, circumference, height and width of each. Children can then record their results and see how accurate their estimates were. 
2. Halloween BuzzBuzz is a counting game that has been played by kids for ages. It can quickly become a Halloween math game just by changing the word ‘buzz’ to a Halloween word. You might like to use ‘Dracula’, ‘Boo’ or ‘trick or treat’. Start with multiples of seven being the banned numbers that have to be replaced by the buzz word. 
To play the kids just go around the group counting in ones but when they get to the number seven, any multiple of seven or any number that contains a seven, they say the buzz word instead. If they don’t they are out. So the counting should sound like this – one, two, three, four, five, six, ‘boo’, eight, nine ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, ‘boo’ etc. Sounds easy but does require concentration and also a good knowledge of multiples. 
3. Build a SkeletonIn this Halloween math game, two teams or two players compete against each other. This game involves choosing a basic skeleton shape to be drawn as the game progresses. A math question or problem is given and the first player or team to answer correctly wins the right to draw a piece of the skeleton. The first team or player to complete the skeleton is the winner. To make it even more fun paper skeletons can be bought and pulled apart. The winner of each round can then take one piece of their skeleton. The game is over when one player or team has all of the pieces of the skeleton. 
Not all kids like math but when math becomes Halloween math this will change and the kids will be begging for more. Hope the kids enjoy these Halloween math activities. Happy Halloween!

More Math Articles

What Makes Math Learning Fun

 Frank Ho

Canada certified math teacher at Ho Math and Chess

www.mathandchess.com

Parents use math marks as a guideline to see if their children’s math have improved, there is nothing wrong with it. My personal experience is that I will feel much relaxed if my tutored student has improved to a stage that math tutoring is fun for both of us. The atmosphere is very relaxed and I can see that the student is enjoying the fun of math learning. The student’s attitude and facial expression are all very relaxed and student’s reaction is very exciting and happy.

So what makes math learning fun? It definitely is not just school math marks. If a math learning centre is only concentrating on improving a student’s math marks then this alone will not make students feel math learning is fun, it only makes them feel good because their parents may be very happy, still many will not feel fun in math learning. Students think math learning fun is because they really enjoy the thrill of working out or discovering solutions on their own. They enjoy the feelings of discovery and this feeling makes them feel math learning is not boring. The feeling of fun math learning comes from the feeling of students themselves, not from just getting A in math marks.

How can I tell if students are enjoying math? How can I tell if my children are enjoying the food cooked by me? It is because the expression and body language my children have expressed made me know that children are enjoying The same feeling applies to children when they working on math, if children are truly enjoying math then their body languages and feelings are very different from those who do not truly enjoy working on math.

How to make math enjoyable for children? Why math normally does not make children feel enjoyable? Mainly because many math worksheets have not been created in an innovative way. Ho Math and Chess has been created worksheets and observed how children have responded to those worksheets. Their facial expressions and body language signal us if they enjoy those worksheets or not. By comparison, we find out what kinds of worksheets they like or dislike. Ho Math and Chess has been spent efforts on improving math worksheets. Only by making products, which are innovative and different from others, can Ho math and Chess stands out above crowd. A good set of math worksheets can help students develop good work habits and also develop good thinking skills. How can a student have good math techniques without a set of good math worksheets given to them?

A good set of math worksheets encourages thinking process and let children enjoy the results of being able to think. A good set of math worksheets not only teaches but also help children constantly review those concepts, which have learned and even learn something ahead. A good set of math worksheets can prepare students for test, catch up or get ahead in one area or many subjects areas.

It is not enough to just read a glossy brochure to understand a learning center, parents shall look for substance, a caring learning center will develop math worksheets which not only sharpens children’s computation skills but also improving their thinking ability.

Film clip of old Ma & Pa Kettle bit (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride).

Related Math Articles