Looking for a quick, easy, and FUN way to teach math this winter? Just add marshmallows! This snowball fight math activity is a playful way for kids to practice their math skills. And who doesn’t love a good snowball fight?
Snowball Fight Math
Items Needed:
- marshmallows
- magnetic numbers
Directions:
Use the magnetic numbers (or a pencil and paper) to create a math problem for your child to solve. They can then use the marshmallow “snowballs” as manipulatives to solve the problem. And as an added bonus, after their work is done they get a yummy treat!
Addition:
“If you made 8 snowballs and then you made 3 more, how many snowballs would you have all together?”
Subtraction:
“If you had 12 snowballs and you threw 5 snowballs, how many would you have left?”
Multiplication:
“If you had three piles of snowballs with three snowballs in each pile, how many would you have all together?”
More Complex Word Problems:
“John had 8 snowballs. Stacy had three more snowballs than John. Stacy threw six of her snowballs. How many snowballs did Stacy have left?”
And of course, you don’t have to use marshmallows. You could use pom poms or small wads of paper as the snowballs instead. That could bring an extra element of fun because when you “throw” the snowballs in the math problems.. they could really THROW the snowballs!
Have fun!
Looking for more playful math ideas? Check out these posts!
An Invitation to Explore Early Math Concepts via Inner Child Learning
Snowman Poop Math (an addition and subtraction activity) via Crayon Freckles
Everyday Math: Keeping Score with an Abacus via Childhood Beckons
