Making Math Fun - Unifix Cubes

I have one of those kids who LOVES math. When we needed some extra math activities this week I pulled out a box of unifix cubes and some flash cards and put him to work! He is five and a half and is working through the Horizons Kindergarten math program (which, by the way, is an excellent program if you have a child who catches onto math concepts easily and likes math), but I wanted some fun math activities to keep him engaged while my nine year old and I were doing some work together.

I'm sure lots of veteran homeschool moms have done activities like this forever, but for me it's all new. Each time I discover something enjoyable that makes a lightbulb go off for my kids I get really excited!

I started by setting out a couple of addition flash cards and telling my son to make the addition problem with the cubes.

This was pretty simple for him, so I showed him how he could self check the answers on the back. Here is he is getting started:

He wanted to do 20 problems, so the line of cards and cubes extended across the schoolroom:

I loved the look on his face as he was figuring how many cubes to use, how many problems he had completed, and how many he had left to complete.

When my daughter was done with her work, I asked her to check her brother's work.

 This made her feel important, and it was also a good way for her to review her math facts. (There was some rolling around on the floor and giggling, but that's ok -- we're home, so you can have FUN doing your math!)

Looking for more fun unifix activities? Try these resources:

Hubbard's Cupboard - scroll down to "Unifix Cube Recording Sheets"
Math games with Unifix Cubes at ProTeacher
The Unifix Page from Didax
Mathematics with Unifix Cubes  - a great book with Unifix ideas

Just give your child a tub of unifix cubes and you will soon discover they can teach YOU a few things to do with them, too.

Oh, and don't forget the Unifix Cubes!