A list of some of the best water themed math activities to try with your child this summer! 

Summer is upon us which means it’s time for parents to get creative with their learning activities! Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for children to improve their math skills while school is out for the next few months. With temperatures rising and days getting hotter, utilizing water is the perfect way for your little one to learn and have fun at the same time. In this article, we will provide you with some of the best water themed math activities to try this summer. 

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Water Balloon Calculation Activity

This activity is the perfect opportunity for your child to both practice calculation problems and cool off! For this game, start off by writing numbers on pieces of paper and spread out those pieces of paper on the ground. 

Next, use a marker to draw arithmetic equations on the water balloons that equal the numbers shown on the pieces of paper. For example, if one of the numbers is 21, a possible equation on a water balloon could be 10 plus 11. 

After that, the fun part begins! Have your child solve the equation on the water balloon and then throw it towards the paper with the correct number on it. Lastly, if your child is a little more advanced at math, you can also write basic algebra questions on the water balloons as well. 

Food Container Measurement Exercise

This particular exercise is great for teaching your child about visual perspectives. For this activity, fill up multiple different containers of different sizes with the same amount of water. After that, have your child guess which container holds the most water. 

Once your child realizes that it is an optical illusion and that all containers are holding the same amount of water. You can have them practice their measuring skills by allowing them to pour water into a measuring cup to see for themselves. 

Playing around with different numbers and types of measurements such as ounces, cups, and milliliters will cause your child’s curiosity of math and calculation to increase. In addition, if you would like to get a little bit more creative with this activity. You can use food coloring to make each container of water a separate color! 

Spray Down Math Problems With a Water Hose 

If your child likes to play with the backyard or front yard garden hose. This activity will be the perfect fit for them! For this exercise, all you will need is a water hose, some chalk, and a fence, wall, or concrete to draw on. If you do not own a garden hose, no worries! A toy squirt gun will work just as well. 

First off, draw some math equations using your chalk. You can make the questions as easy or as hard as you like. One recommendation would be to have the problems match up with the content that your child is currently learning. 

For example, if your little one is in early elementary school. A question such as 9 + 10 will work just fine. However, if your child is closer to middle school, problems involving squares, cubes, exponents, or even basic algebra are awesome as well!

After the questions are all drawn out, have them solve the problem by writing the correct answer next to the equations. For every problem they solve, let them spray down the problem with the garden hose or squirt gun! 

Water Gun Measuring Game

This is another fun water activity that will enhance your child’s measuring skills! For this game, you will need a water gun, a tape measure, and some chalk if you wish to keep track of your measurements. 

The objective of this game is pretty simple. Fill up a squirt gun with water and have your child try to shoot the water as far as they can. After every round, let your child measure the distance with the tape measure and write down the distance next to the landing spot. 

In addition, if you would like to get a little bit more specific. You can also track the distance of each water gun shot in a notebook so that no data gets lost!

Water Bead Counting Game

This last one of these water themed math activities is perfect for a wide age range of children! The only materials you will need for this activity are water beads, an egg carton, and a marker. For this exercise, write different numbers in each of the 12 egg carton spots. 

Next, have your child place the same number of water beads as the number written in each spot. For example, if the number eight is written in one of the spots. Your child would then put eight water beads in that particular spot. 

However, if your child is a bit older and already possesses excellent counting skills. You can also get creative and turn this game into a calculation exercise by writing basic equations in each spot. For instance, you can write three squared in one of the egg carton spots and then have your child put nine water beads in that specific spot. 

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In addition, we also have K-8 long-term classes to ensure that students master the math material in their respective grades. These semester-long courses are available in three different levels (Advancement, Mastery, ACE) to account for all learning speeds!

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