As moms we’re always looking for ways to sneak a little learning into everyday life. We all want our kids to thrive in this ultra-competitive world we live in, but at the same time don’t want to bog them down with tedious tasks that scream, “School!”
Fun foods are always a great teaching tool. Kids love to eat, they love to show their smarts and they love one-on-one attention. Combine some wholesome snacks with some good old-fashioned math and it’s a winning equation for all of you!
You can tame growling stomachs, keep brains engaged, encourage smart snacking, and reinforce basic math skills with this fun- and food-filled after-school Smart Eating, Smart Math Game.
Start by putting twelve snack foods in bowls on the kitchen table. Label each with a sticky-note number (1-12). Some great wholesome food options are listed below:
- Yoplait yogurt
- Grapes
- Broccoli florets
- Peanut butter
- Apple slices
- Graham crackers
- Cheese sticks or wedges
- Rice cakes
- Banana slices
- Raisins
- Hummus
- Celery sticks
Then create two math problems for your child to solve.
“Three plus two.”
The answer is five, so he or she takes from bowl number five, which is an apple slice.
“12 minus 11.”
The answer is one. The corresponding food product is yogurt.
He or she dips the apple in the yogurt and gets to eat it up!
And now it’s your turn! This game can get really fun when crazy combinations are created, like peanut butter and broccoli! But it can also be a good lesson in, “Try it! You might like it!”
Another variation of the Smart Eating, Smart Math Game is to use a simple roll of the dice. Roll two die and add the numbers together. Double fours equal a rice cake, a five and two puts a cheese wedge on top.
Kids love solving math problems and they certainly love eating, and this game is lot of fun and your kids will get a lot out of it. Just as long as you don’t call it what it is!
How do you encourage your kids to choose nutritious snacks?
Image ©iStock.com/FreezeFrameStudio
