School Sparks - Kindergarten Readiness

Why I like Valentine’s Day math worksheets

Valentine’s Day naturally lends itself to math activities - there are cards to count and candy hearts to sort. So why not add to the holiday fun with these engaging and colorful math worksheets that celebrate this happy day?

Tips for using the Valentine’s Day math worksheets

Counting is fun when the pictures are of hearts, flowers and candy! Before your child begins to count the pictures in a box, ask him to look at the numbers to the right and name each number he sees. To help him practice one-to-one correspondence, remind him to touch each picture as he counts. When he has reached the total number, ask him to find that number in the line to the right of the pictures and circle it with his pencil.

The bar graph pages and pictograph pages are similar graphing opportunities. Remember that these graphs "grow" from the bottom up, as many graphs do. Show your child the number 1 at the bottom of the graph immediately above the picture to help him begin at the proper place when he records on the graph. I recommend introducing the pictograph worksheets first, as it is often easier for a child to visualize how many in a group when he has pasted a picture on the graph. The bar graph pages offer an added challenge, asking children to use a pencil to place an X over a picture and then place an X in the first box to represent that picture. Write the words “more” and “less” on the appropriate line as your child tells your how to correctly complete each sentence.

The patterning worksheet needs just a bit of preparation as the picture squares at the bottom of the page need to be cut out before a child can complete this worksheet. A child who is adept at cutting may cut these out himself. However, since this sheet is not designed to practice cutting skills, it is fine for an adult to help. Once the squares are neatly cut, show your child the options for completing the patterns. It is often helpful to ask a child to say aloud the pattern as he points to each square. On the first line, the missing picture comes at the front of the pattern. Direct your child to identify the pattern by looking at the last three squares in the six square row. Remind your child that a pattern must repeat at least one time to be a pattern.

The sorting and classifying worksheets can be fun - and challenging! Ask your child to tell you how he names each group of pictures. On the first sheet, he might decide, for example, to group all candy in the first section and all people in the second. Or perhaps his first group will be of all things that are heart-shaped. On the second sorting sheet, your child may say that the first box contains things made of cardboard that you can open and the second box is filled with things to eat. As long as your child can verbalize his criteria for separating the pictures he can sort them in any way that he likes.

Additional Valentine’s Day math activities

• Copy the sorting and classifying sheets a second time to give your child the chance to sort and classify the pictures in a new way. Or combine all the picture options from both pages and let your child decide which two boxes he wants to use to sort the larger group of pictures.
• Use the bar graph template to help your child conduct his own Valentine’s Day survey. Brainstorm ideas for survey questions with your child and write his selection at the top of the page. For instance, your child might want to ask people: "What is your favorite Valentine’s Day candy?" Ask your child to draw, paste pictures or write words under several bars to represent popular answers such as: candy message hearts, chocolate, or marshmallow hearts. Often a simple "yes" or "no" question is a good way to introduce a young child to this new activity. “Is Valentine’s Day your favorite holiday?” might be a fun question to ask friends and relatives.