It’s a well-known fact that you can spot shapes, patterns, and equations pretty much everywhere you look. From the shell on a snail’s back to the intricate pattern of a zebra, you can see beautiful images and patterns in nature if you know where to find them.
You can even learn to understand mathematical patterns and formulas in everyday objects. Here are some ways people are practicing math and learning to understand it without even realizing it. Introduce these skills and objects early on for optimal success.
Knitting
Knitting is an ideal way to relax, but your brain is doing more than you think. When people practice knitting, they are following the steps to a pattern, learning repetition, and training their bodies to react in specific ways.
You learn about increases and decreases as your knitting pattern grows outward and inward.
You learn about mirror images and reflection by viewing your piece from all directions.
It teaches accuracy since you have to follow the steps exactly in order to create a piece.
Who knew there was so much math in knitting?
Beading
Beads are used worldwide to create art and jewelry. With endless colors, patterns, and shapes, using beads can teach you much more than simply how to make a necklace or a friendship bracelet.
- Using beads teaches the skill of representing numbers as you figure out how to make a pattern and repeat it precisely.
- Use beads to create a simple ten-frame and find different combinations of ten inside.
- Beads teach the art of categorization and sorting which are early skills for math success.
There are endless patterns you can make with beads and they are an integral part of many cultures. There are so many ways to use them to gain mathematical skills too.
Riding a Bicycle
The bicycle is popular all over the world. Riding a bike is a great way to stay fit, save on fuel and relax. Did you know that riding a bicycle can teach mathematical skills too? Here’s how riding a bike can be important for math abilities:
- Riding a bicycle requires an understanding of how wheels work.
- You’ll further develop your directional ability and even map-reading skills as you ride your bike from place to place.
- Riding a bicycle means you need a basic understanding of how gears work with each other.
So get your bike out and start riding more.
Gardening
Gardening is an amazing way for people to share knowledge, such as how plants grow and what they need to thrive. Here are some ways that plants and gardening can relate to mathematical skills too:
- Growing a garden requires learning a concept of time which is a foundational math skill.
- You need to learn about measurement when you plant seeds to find the correct depth.
- Laying out a garden takes knowledge about area because plants need proper spacing for optimal growth.
Not only can we see hidden patterns in plants we grow, but they are also useful since we can eat and share them with others.
Cooking Tools
What better way to pass on math knowledge than when you’re cooking? There are so many cooking tools that naturally relate to mathematical concepts if you take the time to discuss their purpose and use.
-Measuring cups, spoons, and bowls help teach about fractions.
-Recipes require following directions, which is an essential skill for problem solving in math.
-You’ll learn about temperature including boiling points, the chemistry of different ingredients when they cook and how substances combine.
Cooking is a great way people spend time together but as you can see, you’ll also learn math skills while you do it. Share cooking recipes with your family and children to help them gain basic concepts early on.
Sometimes it’s the simple things that help you gain a more complicated understanding of math. You don’t have to look far to find teachable moments in your everyday life.
Tess DiNapoli is an artist, freelance writer, and content strategist. She has a passion for yoga and often writes about business, home, health and wellness.