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Original poster

If your Y1 child is good at maths, what…

66 replies

Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 18:52

… activities/ games / puzzles do they enjoy? Bonus point if it’s stuff he can do on his own 😒

I’m not looking for actual maths stuff (workbooks or apps) as I don’t want him to get ahead and then find school boring. But stuff that will stimulate his mathsy mind for fun. We’ve got plenty of board games, building stuff (Lego, magnets, etc) and a beebot type coding mouse thingy. He’s got a rubics cube (not that interested). He used to do a lot of jigsaws, but has gone off them (even the adult 1000-piece type ones). He does get a bit bored of stuff quite quickly…

I need some inspiration for ways to keep his mind engaged over the summer (otherwise he just flops around moaning and drives us all mad!)

OP posts:
BlueMumDays · 20/07/2022 18:54

Chess. Real life or on an app. Most of the apps can be set to show legal moves and pieces in danger etc. I can't remember exactly which one my kids use I'm afraid - there's a few free ones, try them out.

BlueMumDays · 20/07/2022 18:56

Also, my 5yo will spend hours just playing with a calculator! He likes setting himself questions, then checking on the calculator 🤷‍♀️

NannyR · 20/07/2022 18:58

Draughts (or is it drafts??) and a think fun game called traffic jam. The Think fun brand has lots of fun maths/logic/science type games and puzzles.

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Camomila · 20/07/2022 19:01

DS1 (just finished yr1) is learning how to code - lots of maths concepts there.

(I didn't suggest it, he wants to learn so he can make his own roblox games. My DBro is teaching him)

He also like playing go fish and other simple card games.

Original poster
Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 19:25

BlueMumDays · 20/07/2022 18:54

Chess. Real life or on an app. Most of the apps can be set to show legal moves and pieces in danger etc. I can't remember exactly which one my kids use I'm afraid - there's a few free ones, try them out.

I think he’d like chess and his granddad taught him the basics once. But I can’t play. I’m trying to avoid screens (should probably have said that in OP). Maybe it’s time for me to learn chess!

OP posts:
Original poster
Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 19:26

Camomila · 20/07/2022 19:01

DS1 (just finished yr1) is learning how to code - lots of maths concepts there.

(I didn't suggest it, he wants to learn so he can make his own roblox games. My DBro is teaching him)

He also like playing go fish and other simple card games.

See I think he’d love this too. Did he teach him using an app? I know absolutely nothing about coding (neither does DH)!

OP posts:
Original poster
Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 19:27

NannyR · 20/07/2022 18:58

Draughts (or is it drafts??) and a think fun game called traffic jam. The Think fun brand has lots of fun maths/logic/science type games and puzzles.

thanks I’ll look Think Fun up

OP posts:
DelurkingAJ · 20/07/2022 19:28

Usborne Junior Puzzle booked were a big hit at that age. Patience games too (simple ones).

MrsDoofus · 20/07/2022 19:32

My DD learned to solve a Rubix cube last summer when she'd just finished year 1. Used a YouTuber called ZMan872. I learned first and then taught her and she used YouTube to revise what I'd tried to teach her. By the time we went on holiday to Spain she could solve any 3x3 cube within 2 minutes which I thought was pretty good going and impressed all the waiters 😂

ChocolateCoveredStrawberries · 20/07/2022 19:39

I’m a year 1 teacher and I’ve suggested simple sudokus to some of my stronger mathematicians this year. Shut the box is also a brilliant problem solving and mental maths game - you can buy versions on Amazon. You have the numbers 1-9 (or sometimes 10 or 12) and 2 dice and have to put down numbers that add up to the number rolled so it’s brilliant for number bonds as well as reasoning as you need to think about which numbers will be harder to use and get rid of them early to be able to complete it.

Jijithecat · 20/07/2022 19:48

The IQ Puzzler Pro is good because it's quite small and easily transportable. My children play it in the car.

Original poster
Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 19:48

Thanks @ChocolateCoveredStrawberries i think he’d love that game (and it sounds like one I won’t go mad with boredom playing with him).

I think I’ve got a book of kids’ sudokus too somewhere

OP posts:
Original poster
Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 19:50

Jijithecat · 20/07/2022 19:48

The IQ Puzzler Pro is good because it's quite small and easily transportable. My children play it in the car.

That looks great! He’s got some other puzzles like that, which he loves, but this looks even better.

OP posts:
KarrotKake · 20/07/2022 20:03

SmartGames and Thinkfun are good brands to gave a look at.
Wooden tesselating puzzles - both 2D and 3D.
Rubix pyramid is good if your not quite ready for a cube.
Magnetic tiles.
Its online, but NRich has some good ideas.

ItsReallyOnlyMe · 20/07/2022 20:06

The game Mastermind would also be good.

NewYorkLassie · 20/07/2022 20:06

Uno is a hit here. Also the Genius puzzle games. I think they’re by the happy puzzle company or something like that. Battleships is great for problem solving, spatial awareness and concentration.

Camomila · 20/07/2022 20:07

Flockameanie I don't think they are using an app AFAIK, my DBro is teaching him Lua (a language used in Roblox) bit by bit...I think it's probably the sort of thing you need an adult sitting next to you for (DBro studied web development at uni)
DS1 is a bit disappointed he can't make "a game full of tanks" yet....he can program red dots though 😊

Hotenoughtoburnasausage · 20/07/2022 20:08

Ds 7 is a somewhat genius apparently.. Of which I take no credit! Nor dh tbh! From about 3 he could play a decent game of dominoes and very quickly an adult game of cards!! Quite astounds us!

Tallulasdancingshoes · 20/07/2022 20:11

Definitely smart games. You can get travel ones or bigger ones. Ds liked the knights one.

APurpleSquirrel · 20/07/2022 20:18

Dominoes
Mathlinks cubes (you can get Numberblocks ones, but that might be a bit young?)
Pretend money
Junior Monopoly
Science kits - use maths in quantities etc

whoruntheworldgirls · 20/07/2022 20:19

Mine earns pocket money and she loves counting how much she has.
She also has fake money in her toy kitchen and plays restaurants so charges us and has to give us change

RomainingCalm · 20/07/2022 20:34

I was going to suggest chess as well. I know you want to avoid screens but I think both of my DC learned using the Dinosaur chess app. alongside a Learn to Play book and a chess set where they could set out moves etc.

MangoM · 20/07/2022 20:38

Snap Circuits
It's electronics rather than maths as such, but if he's got a logical mind he might enjoy following the instructions. I'm a mathsy person and I'd have loved something that as a child. (I'd enjoy it now too and I'm pushing 40!)

karmakameleon · 20/07/2022 20:40

Another vote for chess. Both mine love it but a lot of tournaments are online since covid so yes, there is screen time. The Magnus app was good to get them going and chess.com once they were better and wanted to play games.

Smart games have also been mentioned and there are plenty to choose from.

And finally get him a pack of cards and teach him how to play patience.

All these have kept my two entertained.

RomainingCalm · 20/07/2022 20:42

Slightly random but cricket is also good for maths if they enjoy sport.

The Hundred starts soon and then you have short games with more statistics than you can imagine! Learning how to score a game or calculating batting averages, bowling averages, run rates, predicted scores all good for maths. Owzthat! is a neat dice game and good for travelling.

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