Maths is all around us—in the way we measure ingredients for a cake, count steps on a staircase, or sort toys into baskets. For young children, learning Maths doesn’t have to mean worksheets or rote memorisation. In fact, some of the best Maths learning happens through hands-on activities like crafts and games!

When children engage in play-based learning, they develop a natural curiosity for numbers, patterns, and problem-solving. Instead of just memorising facts, they experience Maths in action, making it fun, meaningful, and long-lasting.

Why Hands-On Maths Works

1. It Makes Abstract Concepts Concrete
Young children learn best when they can see, touch, and manipulate objects. Concepts like addition, subtraction, or even fractions become clearer when kids use real objects, like counting pom-poms, building with blocks, or cutting a pizza into slices.

2. It Engages Multiple Senses
Hands-on activities involve seeing, touching, and sometimes even hearing or moving. This multi-sensory approach helps children absorb and retain information better than just listening to explanations.

3. It Builds Confidence and a Love for Learning
When children explore maths through play, they gain confidence in problem-solving. There’s no pressure to “get it right” the first time—just joyful discovery. This helps develop a positive attitude toward maths from an early age.

3 Simple Hands-On Maths Activities for Home

1. Count and Sort with Everyday Objects

Use buttons, pasta, coins, or even snacks to practice counting and sorting. Ask your child to group them by colour, size, or shape, and count how many are in each group. You can also introduce simple addition and subtraction by asking, “If we eat 2 grapes, how many are left?”

2. Create a DIY Maths Board Game

Make a simple board game using dice and a homemade path (drawn on paper or built with blocks). Each player rolls the dice and moves forward the matching number of spaces. Add challenge cards like “Jump 2 spaces forward” or “Go back 1 space” to introduce number recognition and simple Maths operations.

Psst, have you seen the Maths games and crafts we have in our Curious Little Critters Maths Adventures Play & Learn Activity books?

Image of Scavenger Hunt from Curious Little Critters Maths Adventures Play & Learn Activity book - Numbers 1 to 30

3. Play Shop with Play Money

Set up a pretend shop using household items. Give your child play money and price the items in simple amounts (e.g., 5 cents, 10 cents). Let them “buy” things and count out the right amount. This introduces money concepts, counting, and even basic addition and subtraction.

Maths is Everywhere—Let’s Make It Fun!

By incorporating crafts, games, and real-life play into everyday learning, we help children see maths as a joyful, engaging experience rather than a subject to be feared. When learning feels like play, children develop a strong foundation and a lifelong love for numbers.

So the next time you want to teach maths, step away from the worksheets—pull out some blocks, dice, or even a handful of snacks, and let the magic of hands-on learning begin!