Use snacktime as mathtime with this free printable “Math as you Snack” placemat or worksheet I created for you and your kids. I used Lunchables Jr. for our snacktime and asked my kids to create their own math equations. It’s fun to “play with our food” for a change and reinforces that math can be fun!
I created my “Math as you Snack” worksheet to be flexible enough to work with kids in a large age range. For younger kids you can use it as a counting exercise by writing in numbers in the boxes. For kids who are beginning to learn equations you can write the equation for them (1 + 1 = 2) and have them use the snack pieces as counters to show the equation with objects. For kids who are practicing math facts you can ask them to write their own equation using the snack pieces. They can even move beyond addition and subtraction to multiplication and division. I like to leave the instructions open-ended so kids can be creative. You’ll be amazed by what your kids will come up with!
My kids have a long day in 1st and 2nd grade and bring their own snack each day. I’ve created a “School Snacks” drawer that is reserved for single-serve snacks that are individually packaged so that each morning my kids are responsible for selecting one snack to put in their backpack. By creating a drawer that’s reserved for these snacks we are able to “save” them as school snacks (and not be tempted to snack on them when we’re at home, unless we have a need for an on-the-go snack that we can grab as we head out the door). This has helped us stay well-stocked in school snacks because we need ten of them every week (and last year they had a tendency to disappear over the weekend). It has also helped instill a sense of personal responsibility in my kids because they aren’t relying on me to select a snack and put it in their backpack (but of course I remind them). As I’m busy making breakfast and packing lunches each morning it’s great to have a little bit of extra help from my kids with our morning preparations. The Lunchables Jr. are a generous snack portion and are enough of a snack to hold my 8-year-old over until his late lunchtime of 12:50 pm on school days.
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Originally posted September 9, 2013.
What a fun idea! I’m going to send my aunt over here to print this for my niece. Lunchables Jr. sound so yummy!
Thank you – my kids loved doing math while they snacked. Now I just need to find a way to turn their homework into a fun snacktime activity too!