Parent tips to support 2nd grade math learning and have fun at home

We know that most families have a full schedule, and it can be hard to find time for that extra focus we want to have on math. With DreamBox it's easy to find ways to work a little math fun into everyday family activities and keep it from becoming a chore.

DreamBox supports parents in their commitment to their child's math education, suggesting math games and fun everyday activities to explore with young children.

At this age, kids are using numbers and quantitative methods in more advanced ways. They now have a repertoire of basic addition and subtraction combinations that they can use as tools in computing. They understand subtraction as the inverse of addition. Because they can better understand space and quantity, a broader range of mathematical ideas become more accessible. And a major developmental shift occurs when beginning multiplication.

Find ways to practice number operations

• Practice counting down from any double-digit number. For example, use a calendar to count down the number of days to an upcoming event.
• Prepare for multiplication by helping your child think in groups. Ask "how many fingers do five people have?"
• Try a variation on the card game "War." When the higher card takes the lower card, subtract the lower number from the higher number, and the player who won that play wins those points.
• Give your child the change in your pocket and ask how many different ways she can make 25 cents.
• Play a variation on the game "Go Fish." Instead of asking for cards with numbers that match, players take turns asking for cards that, added to the card she has, adds up to 10. Count face cards as zero, aces as 1's.

Find ways to develop reasoning skills

• If your child knows that 4 quarters is 1 dollar, can he figure out what 6 quarters is?
• Ask your child to estimate the height of a tree by estimating how much higher it might be than an 8' fence next to it.

Find ways to collect and organize information

• Read sports score tables, weather charts, and other common numerical information you find in the news.
• As you're shopping, compare the amounts in the Nutrition Facts on packaged foods or the amounts in various containers of similar products.
• Take measurements for a project around the house. How many inches are there? How many feet? How many yards?

Some family games that help develop math skills:

• At this age kids are developing more complex ways of reasoning — they like strategic thinking games like checkers, chess, Monopoly, and Clue.
• Dominoes
• Mancala
• Cribbage

Try some 2nd grade-level DreamBox math games

Read more math learning parent tips for:

• Kindergarten math
• 1st grade math
• 3rd grade math

When you subscribe to DreamBox, you'll get regular academic progress emails that include tips for family activities that reinforce the specific lessons your child is learning.