Math As A Family Bonding Experience
While we often think of math as a subject confined to schools, the power of math extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. In everything we love from games to food to travel to music, math is deeply integrated into our daily lives.
A recent trend in math education research has been the concept of Family Math. Research studies have shown that parents regularly engaging in math talk or math activities with their kids, provides a major boost to their kids’ in-school math achievement. Not only is this great from an educational standpoint, but doing math as a family can be fun too!
Family Math is all about making math an inclusive and interactive experience that transcends textbooks and tests. By engaging in math together, families can discover the joys of problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative exploration as a united team.
In this blog post we highlight three great ways in which families can bond while doing math together using Tile Farm.
Building Together in Tile Farm Studio
Tile Farm Studio is a perfect setting for informally playing with math. Not only is it fun for people of all ages, but it also provides lots of opportunities for math talk. Here are a few Tile Farm Studio activities perfect for families:
- Take Turns Building and Coloring– Try taking turns building or coloring something in Tile Farm Studio and see where your collective creativity goes! This activity encourages teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity, while providing an opportunity for family members to develop empathy as they better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Check out Skills Section in Tile Farm Studio- The Skills section in Tile Farm Studio has short videos with tips and tricks building in Tile Farm Studio and using the app to learn math. Check it out for inspiration and fun ideas.
- Come Up With Your Own Activities- The open-ended nature of Tile Farm Studio allows for limitless opportunities for people to develop their own creative activities. Maybe you’ll invent your own version of Pictionary, come up with a storytelling activity, or make something reflective of your family’s culture. Whatever direction you choose, the sky is the limit!
As you build, learn, and work together, there are many great opportunities to engage in math talk and develop communication skills. Try asking questions such as:
- What types of shapes have we used?
- How many of each shape did we use?
- How many total shapes did we use?
- What do you notice about what we built?
- Do you see any symmetry in our creation?
- What does our creation make you wonder?
Take Turns Playing Tile Farm Academy
Tile Farm Academy has been designed to give people of all ages an engaging and intuitive math learning experience. A great family math activity is to take turns completing daily activities in Tile Farm Academy while watching each other struggle, succeed, learn, and grow. Whether it is with siblings, parents, grandparents, or other caregivers, watching each other learn is a valuable experience as it promotes empathy, understanding, and a deeper appreciation for each family member’s individual growth and progress.
Seeing an older family member struggle with math, then persevere, provides an invaluable experience for children, as it teaches them it is okay to make mistakes, but with hard work, you can grow and succeed.
Make A Gift Together In Tile Farm Maker
Making a personalized gift for a friend or family member using Tile Farm Maker is a great opportunity to pursue a more thoughtful long-term project, while making math more meaningful. Working as a family to make a personalized gift together is a beautiful experience that not only showcases the thoughtfulness of the gesture, but also strengthens the bond between family members as they collaborate on a heartfelt and meaningful present.
