We are Lego fanatics. I mean, what's not to love about Legos, honestly?! Aside from building and creating, there are SO many things you can do with them. Recently, while playing with James, I had a sudden brainstorm...
Lego Math!
I created this lego "worksheet" which has several basic addition/subtraction equations on it. James will need to find the sum in the little silver bucket and click it onto the worksheet. For the symbols I used flat, "bumpless" Lego pieces and simply drew symbols on them with a permanent marker. For the sum of zero I did something similar - I used a flat piece stuck to another Lego.
To provide a control of error I made sure each equation had the same color. The thing I like most about this activity is that it has a sensory aspect to it. The little bumps on the pieces have such a pleasant feel to them when traced with a finger. I'm all about tactile learning and I love that it helps to cement concepts into the brain.
We've used Legos in our learning time in the past. Here are some other fun and educational things you can do with Legos:
:: Sorting by color, size, shape/type, number of bumps, etc.
:: Measuring
:: A mystery bag - here you'd place several different kinds of Legos in a bag and have a matching set available on a tray. Have your child close their eyes and reach their hands in and feel one of the pieces. They'll need to match it to one of the pieces on the tray.
:: Painting/stamping
:: Graphing
:: Music Theory
:: ABC/123 - simply build jumbo letters and numbers. We did this for James when he was first learning his name.
:: Bingo - there's a free printable for this!
:: "Spinny" Speller - I've seen this idea all over the web, but here's a great example.
:: Picture matching
:: Organizing! Ok, so this may not be fun to everyone, but this is my idea of a really good time - I purchased these containers and blissfully entertained myself for hours!
For even more ideas, hop on over to Pinterest and enter "Legos" into your search - holy Lego mania, Batman!
Lego Math! 
I created this lego "worksheet" which has several basic addition/subtraction equations on it. James will need to find the sum in the little silver bucket and click it onto the worksheet. For the symbols I used flat, "bumpless" Lego pieces and simply drew symbols on them with a permanent marker. For the sum of zero I did something similar - I used a flat piece stuck to another Lego.To provide a control of error I made sure each equation had the same color. The thing I like most about this activity is that it has a sensory aspect to it. The little bumps on the pieces have such a pleasant feel to them when traced with a finger. I'm all about tactile learning and I love that it helps to cement concepts into the brain.
We've used Legos in our learning time in the past. Here are some other fun and educational things you can do with Legos:
:: Sorting by color, size, shape/type, number of bumps, etc.
:: Measuring
:: A mystery bag - here you'd place several different kinds of Legos in a bag and have a matching set available on a tray. Have your child close their eyes and reach their hands in and feel one of the pieces. They'll need to match it to one of the pieces on the tray.
:: Painting/stamping
:: Graphing
:: Music Theory
:: ABC/123 - simply build jumbo letters and numbers. We did this for James when he was first learning his name.
:: Bingo - there's a free printable for this!
:: "Spinny" Speller - I've seen this idea all over the web, but here's a great example.
:: Picture matching
:: Organizing! Ok, so this may not be fun to everyone, but this is my idea of a really good time - I purchased these containers and blissfully entertained myself for hours!For even more ideas, hop on over to Pinterest and enter "Legos" into your search - holy Lego mania, Batman!
~Thank you for your comments!~
14 comments:
Wow Mari-Ann, how creative is that! I love the idea! Now how to keep the baby from getting at them... Hmmm
I love this idea! What did you use for the addition and equals signs? Thanks, Sasha
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my what fantastic Lego ideas! We are big Lego fans as well and I never thought of how to use it to teach math!? And I love your organization (I'm exactly the same - LOVE to sort!) The containers are so versatile, do they have a brand name?
I'm going to get started right away, you've inspired me!
Thanks,
~ joey ~
OMG -that's totally my idea of fun too! So glad I'm not the only one! LOL
We organize our lego pieces the same way! It makes it so much easier for Robbie to find what he needs.
I did a learning with legos post several months ago. They're one of our favorite learning toys, too!
I love the way you did this. :) Great idea!
What a great idea for little lego obsessed boys (I have one too). Thanks for sharing!
COOL!
You can also play a simple dice game. Bowl of lego (same size) roll the dice take that many and so on. Player with the tallest/longest tower wins.
WHAT?! Mari-Ann, your ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. Now I have a reason to accept that giant tub of Legos my sister has been trying to pawn off to me. ;)
I love it! I am almost afraid to enter Lego World for fear of getting sucked in forever! My six year old son is beginning the love affair and I am going to use your ideas. Thank you!
This is so very creative! Wow! My son will take right to this idea. Thank you so much!
PEACE
Jennifer
Great to see you making legos into an educational toy . Anything that helps a child learn while playing at the same time is great.
This is such a GREAT idea. We've been using legos on our MUS math book...keeps my 5 yo interested!
This is a FANTASTIC way to help my students-all with autism-to learn math that is visually stimulating and hands-on! I love it!!!!
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