Easter Math Riddles

Easter and Math do not generally go together; true that. But then, riddles can go along with pretty much any subject, Easter being no exception. Here’s how you can design simple, Easter-themed Math riddles for your kids.

“Framed Math Girl” by JayNick is licensed under CC by 2.0

Have an incomplete riddle as the question that needs to be solved in the beginning. Here are some examples:

• A rabbit with fleas is called ____. (Answer: Bugs Bunny)
• How do Easter bunnies stay healthy? (Answer: Eggsercise)
• How did the soggy Easter bunny dry himself? (Answer: Hare Dryer)

Now divide the page into two parts. The left half should contain math problems; simple addition and subtraction for younger kids, the more complicated multiplication and division for older kids. Just the signs (+, -, x, /) need to be missing, shown as an empty block. The right half will have four columns, each headed by these signs and corresponding alphabets under each. The correct sign for each equation should have the corresponding alphabet under it for each problem, so as to make up the word in a correct sequence once all the problems are solved. The children are required to figure out the correct signs in each case and circle the letter under the correct sign. Once all the problems are correctly solved, simply list out the alphabets in their correct order at the bottom of the worksheet and you have the answer to your riddle!

Summer Holiday Fun for 10-year olds - Outdoor 1st Grade Math Games

How can summer holidays be made more fun with a little bit of educational games and a lot of playtime in the backyard? Involve your 10-year olds in these fun, outdoor 1^st grade math games and have a blast with addition, skip counting, back counting, and number word reading.

The Game of Mother Lion and Her Cub

Photo Courtesy: Amanda Westmont

In first grade, your child should be familiar with skip counting, back counting, and number line. However, when the kids are back to school after their holiday, teachers would expect them to not only skip and back count but ‘read’ number words too. Here are some exciting backyard 1^st grade math games that you can play with the kids on a sunny day!

Mother Lion

Cut 10 6x6” squares from a construction paper. You can choose to have 10 different colors of construction paper to make the math game as colorful as possible! Write a digit each on one side of the squares and their corresponding number words on the other side. 

Have the kids stand in a row while you stand a few feet away from them with the squares. Make sure the distance is such that the kids are neither too close to you nor too far to see the number cards that you’ll hold up.

You will be the mother lion while the kids will play the part of hungry cubs. They’ll begin the game by asking you “Mother lion, mother lion, what time is it?” and you’ll display the word number side of any number card indicating the time. If you display ‘four’, the kids will have to take four steps toward you. Once they take the steps, you will pretend to fall asleep, ignoring the hungry little cubs. They will again wake you up with the same beginning line and this time you will flash the number side of a random number card. If you flash ‘6’, the kids will have to go back 6 steps. Alternate between the number and word sides of the cards and finish the game when a child reaches your spot. 

Math skills learnt – Skip counting, counting backwards, and number word recognition.

Bowling with a Twist

Photo Courtesy: Tinou Bao

The classic game of bowling is twisted and tweaked to make it a great outdoor event as well as an exciting 1^st grade math game at home! Gather 10 empty soda bottles and fill them up with sand to make the game more challenging. Cut out strips of construction paper and write the numbers 1-10 and paste each label on a random bottle.

Arrange the bottles on your driveway in a triangle. Right after the triangle, draw a line with a chalk and mark that as the end of the alley. Make sure the bottle with the number 10 is right in the front so that it is the most difficult to send off the alley. Divide the kids into two groups and toss a coin to choose the group who’ll take the first throw. Get a deuce ball to start the game. Just like a normal game of bowling, have the kids throw the ball at the bottles and send off the ‘pins’ off the alley. Have the player who throws the ball count up the numbers on each pin that gets knocked and write down his score on the score maintenance sheet. Supervise so that there isn’t any error in calculating the total. 

Play a match of 2 rounds and declare the winner at the end of it. A great game of bowling and an exciting marathon of addition will keep the kids happy through the rest of the day!

Math skills learnt – Addition