Friendly Spider Math

[30 Minutes]

Create some fun and hands-on learning opportunities for your child with a spider friendly game. Playing this game will help improve math skills.

You'll need:

• one egg carton (with 12 sections) • markers and pencil • one package of 100 pipe cleaners • index cards (3" X 5")

What to do:

1. If possible, print out these directions. Read them through before you begin.
2. With your child, gather everything you'll need.
3. Use one egg carton section for each spider body.
4. Invite your child to attach eight pipe cleaner legs to each body.
5. Encourage him to make 12 spiders, then put them in a line.
6. Invite him to draw a different face on each spider's body.

How to play:

1. Use the spiders to help your child practice addition and multiplication facts.
2. To practice addition, encourage him to add the legs on one number of spiders to the legs on another number of spiders.
3. Show him how to practice the multiplication facts from 8 X 1 to 8 X 12 by using the spiders' legs to help figure out the answers.
4. Think about what other objects or animals could help your child learn other multiplication facts.

Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.

• What kind of faces are you drawing on the spiders?
• What others ways could we practice multiplication?