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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:
Frankcat19 · 20/07/2022 22:17

Nrich website has lots of practical/ problem solving activities for keen mathematicians.

Mariposista · 20/07/2022 22:21

All these games sound great and you will have fun playing them with him! Food for you OP saying no to screens. You sound like a brilliant mum.

Mariposista · 20/07/2022 22:21

Mariposista · 20/07/2022 22:21

All these games sound great and you will have fun playing them with him! Food for you OP saying no to screens. You sound like a brilliant mum.

Meant ‘Good’ for you

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JaninaDuszejko · 20/07/2022 22:24

He might still be a bit young but Turing Tumble kept our 9yo interested for weeks and weeks.

Agree with Snap Circuits, baking and board games.

Flockameanie · 20/07/2022 22:52

thank you all for all these amazing ideas! Tons here that I think he’d love. I love card games and puzzles too and he enjoys having a go at Wordle with me. I hadn’t thought about teaching him stuff like solitaire, but now I think of it I probably was around his age when I was taught clock patience (which I played endlessly).

OP posts:
larkstar · 20/07/2022 23:33

Try Ravensburger Labyrinth - Moving Maze board game - but you'd have to play with him.

There's a strategy game called Hive that is surprisingly simple but interesting. Hexagonal pieces.

There is always learning to draw - this can be quite a good absorbing and challenging solo activity - learning to draw animals (or whatever he is interested in) from a book.

Have a look for tangram puzzles - again very simple but some can be challenging.

Look up a pencil and paper game called sprouts - very simple - he might find that interesting - or not as the case may be - you just try as many different things as you can and see what he connects with. There is battleships - again paper and pencil. Classic board game like Go and even Mahjong is you can find a cheap set - I used to play all of these when I was a kid.

Maybe try to get him to learn a musical instrument - do you have access to a keyboard or could you borrow one for a bit? Sometimes primary schools have a largely underused budget to invest in musical instruments or peripatetic music teachers - ask if they do or would be prepared to try and support your son learning something like piano. I've found that genuinely talented kids generally have more than one talent - so don't stop wondering or looking once you think you have discovered one area where they seem to lie outside the norm - greater talents may lie elsewhere.

There's nothing wrong with going deeper with his maths but it's worth exploring other areas that might challenge him. It's hard work sometimes keeping a bright child engaged - you really have to listen to your child, watch them and pick up on what type of activities grip them and then think hard, research and dream up new things to introduce him to. His happiness and sense of worth - not just from excelling is really important - so you praise effort not achievement and recognise and appreciate his many other qualities - whatever that might be - that he is sensible, fun, imaginative, a good listener, a good friend, fair, helpful, kind, forgiving, trustworthy, generous, etc.

If I have time I might pm you and say a bit more - things I'd prefer to say privately.

Isonthecase · 20/07/2022 23:43

Snap circuits and junior monopoly on repeat in this house. Also loves Lego - anything logical where you have to see patterns really. Things like baking are also popular and weirdly treasure hunts. I'm an engineer too so have had a lovely time picking out toy options, living vicariously through my child 😅

MrsSkylerWhite · 20/07/2022 23:48

if you have an iPad or whatever (sorry, I’m a bit of a dinosaur), there’s a fantastic “Very Hungry Caterpillar” app that is quite challenging. Geometry, colour matching, sequences, etc.

PestorPeston · 21/07/2022 00:01

Chess, programming and lots of games.

Poker?
DD was about 8 when she wiped the floor with the local poker club. Grandma taught her well.

The Number Devil book will give you ideas www.amazon.co.uk/Number-Devil-Hans-Magnus-Enzensberger/dp/1847080537
Keep it fun, work outside of the school / education thingy

CoffeeChocolateGin · 21/07/2022 07:00

Musical instrument is a great idea.

KarrotKake · 21/07/2022 07:01

If he likes Wordle, have you discovered Nerdle?

Iwantacampervan · 21/07/2022 07:42

Cribbage - good for number bonds to 15.
Rummikub (as previously recommended)
and also the NRICH website for maths' problems (useful for mathematical thinking and discussion)

chouxfleur · 21/07/2022 07:57

Turing Tumble is great! I think a five year old would need help but it's still lots of fun
store-uk.upperstory.com/products/turing-tumble/

Based on Alan Turing's early computers. Like a mini marble run but you can 'programme' it to do different commands that send the marbles to different places depending on what mechanical pieces you use.

Flockameanie · 21/07/2022 09:08

Thanks for the further suggestions. Turing Tumble looks like a good call. He already learns a musical instrument (somewhat half-heartedly).

btw he’s absolutely not a genius or anything like that! He’s good at maths (actually, he’s a bit of an all rounder), but not exceptionally so (thankfully - I think being a genuine genius must make childhood tricky).

OP posts:
pimlicoanna · 21/07/2022 11:15

Thinkrolls is fantastic- it's a logic game for kids (I love it too!) It's on a screen but I think screens are great if it's for learning.

MsJuniper · 21/07/2022 16:15

Yahtzee is a big hit with my maths-loving 9yo.

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