Activity Ideas – Math Concepts with Clixo
January 2021
Activities for Ages 4-6
Activities for Ages 5-7
Activities for Ages 7-8
Clixo x learnwithjoey presents: Exploring math skills and strengthening math concepts with your Clixo pack!
Clixo is a great tool for exploring the world of shapes. Whether it’s building classic shapes or manipulating 2D structures to become 3D masterpieces, Clixo naturally promotes the development of various geometrical concepts.
In addition to geometry, you can also use your Clixo pack to help establish foundational math skills. Strengthening important skills like number sense and conceptual understanding of operations will allow your child to access future, more complex math topics of study. Kids can use their Clixo pieces to visualize and represent numbers and operations in a hands-on way, which will in turn give meaning to important underlying math concepts. This is what math manipulatives are all about, but with Clixo, you can switch up your ordinary math tools. The following activities were created to promote math skills in a fun and purposeful way!
Activities for Ages 4-6
(Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade)
Activity: Make that Shape
Identifying and constructing 2D shapes
Materials:
– Any Clixo Pack!
– Shape Task Cards – Download here
How to Play:
1. Pick a shape task card
2. Gather the Clixo pieces needed to create the chosen shape.
(This information is given on each task card)
3. Replicate the shape on the task card
4. Talk about it using the guiding questions provided
Extension:
– Grab a piece of paper and pencil to trace the inside of the shape and have your child label it.
– Have your child create similar shapes using different Clixo pieces.
Here’s what the activity looks like (you can download all the task cards here)
Activity Variation: Circle Challenge!
Sometimes, when you put Clixo pieces together, you may spot a few circles on the inside (see picture below). See how many circles you can make by putting as many of your Clixo pieces together as you can!
Activities for Ages 5-7
(Kindergarten, 1st Grade,2nd Grade)
Activity: Today’s Number
Building understanding and fluency of math facts up to 10+
Materials:
– Clixo Quad Pieces (8 or more)
– Today’s Number Board – Download here
Instructions:
1. Choose a number for your child to work on (Let’s pretend you chose 10!)
2. Connect 10 Quads together to make a strip
3. Have your child break the 10 Quad strip into pairs (2 pieces each)
4. Ask: How many Quads are in each part? What’s the total?
Activity Goals
– Improve number sense
-Deepen conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction
– Strengthen math vocabulary: part & total
– Practice writing addition and subtraction equations (or number sentences)
Helpful Notes:
– Once your child masters this activity with smaller numbers, move onto larger numbers
– Check out the suggested prompt slides for some guiding questions.
Extension:
Write and solve story problems that match the number sentences!
See the pictures below for some suggested prompts (Download the Number Board here):
Activities for Ages 7-8
(2nd Grade & 3rd Grade)
Activity: Early Multiplication Drill
Laying a foundation for multiplication!
Materials:
– Any Clixo pack!
How to Run the Drill:
1. Choose one type of Clixo piece to work with at a time.
2. Lay out one piece in front of you
3. Ask the following questions:
– How many groups are there?
– How many circles (magnets) are in each group?
– What’s the total number of circles (magnets)?
4. Lay another piece down next to it. Ask the same questions. Repeat until you are out of pieces.
Notes:
– This drill is meant to strengthen the conceptual ideas behind multiplication
– You can introduce this drill before moving into multiplication (as a precursor) or well into a multiplication unit to strengthen conceptual understanding
– Being able to identify factors as number of groups or group size and products as the total will help ease the transition into division.
– Key vocabulary words: number of groups, group size, total
Here’s what the activity looks like (you can download all the task cards here)
About @learnwithjoey: Josephine Koh is an educator who has worked for the NYC public school system for over ten years and in private homes as a learning specialist for over fourteen years. She works with a wide range of students but specializes in helping children who have developmental, behavioral, social/emotional, and cognitive challenges. Through her work both in and out of schools, Josephine has become incredibly passionate about empowering kids and families to grow in creative and healthy ways. She loves sharing tips and designing tools that will allow kids and parents to feel equipped, especially at home! Check out @learnwithjoey for more. 🙂
Clixo x @learnwithjoey is a series of creative activity ideas developed by Josephine Koh (@learnwithjoey) for Clixo to help parents and kids get even more fun out of their Clixo packs. Try out some these activities in your play group today and share pictures with us! We’d love to see it! 🙂
Looking for more activity ideas?
– Click here for other Clixo x learnwithjoey activities
– Click here for a different math themed activity by Clixo x Mr. Andy
– Click here for our full collection of activity ideas