Using a math story mat

You know the problem with the way math is usually taught? It’s so removed from anything remotely echoing real life that before long, the savvy child assumes that this skill exists in a vacuum. There is a disconnect. And before long, you hear the dreaded question: “Why do I need to learn this, anyhow?”

Before we parents begin actually teaching on purpose, we avoid this trap. “Here, let’s count how many people will be at the table. Then let’s count how many napkins we have here and see if we need to fold some more.” “We’ll have dinner in about 40 minutes. Each Veggie Tales video is about 20 minutes. How many can you watch before we eat?” Real life, practical application reigns … and math is interesting. And fun. And worth learning.

But then, somewhere along the way, we decide that we need formal math lessons. Cue the workbooks and the glazed over eyes.

I discovered math story mats about a decade ago, and have found that the fill the need for a teaching tool that is fun, engaging, and offers practical application, too.

Here’s how it works:

Choose a skill you need to work on. Gather up a mat and your favorite manipulatives. Dried beans, colored rocks, jelly beans, M&Ms, Unifix cubes, whatever you have on hand will work just fine. (Don’t stress this part. The manipulative itself isn’t the focus here– the mat is. We’ll talk about choosing mats in a minute.) Now, sit down with your child. Explain the skill. Then, work out the skill in a practical sense using the math story mat as a background setting for a interactive story.

Easy, peasy.

Choosing the mat

Here’s the thing– you can buy specialized math story mats. Many well-known publishers (like Scholastic) offer bound books that will give you mats to copy, as well as pre-written stories to use with them. But really, any mat will do. Check my Pinterest board for some options. Or use your own google skillz and find an image that appeals to your child (Hello, Elsa!). Folks, a coloring book page will work. If you’re artsy, you can easily sketch something out that will be personalized; you could even draw as you go along, allowing your child to assist in telling the story via his colored pencils. See how flexible this is? I’ll say it again– any mat will do. Be creative!

Now you need to decide if you’d like to embellish the page with color, stickers, whatever floats your boat. There are merits to prettying it up … but also to keeping it simple. You know your child best. After making that call, ask yourself if this mat will become a part of your regular rotation, or if it’s a one-time use item. If it’s joining your arsenal of math tools, I highly suggest laminating. If not, skip that step and get to the good stuff!

Mind the manipulatives

If you have 50 tiny little apples on hand that work beautifully with your tree mat, you are in for the most adorable math lesson ever. But if your tree is about to be decked out in a handful of black beans nicked from your bulk bin, don’t despair. I’ll be perfectly honest when I say that my kiddos have never given a second thought to the idea of licorice-colored fruit, marshmallows masquerading as beach balls, or Cheerios standing in for garden flowers.

Telling the tale

Now you’re ready to get to it. Telling a story that is both engaging and mathematically relevant isn’t as hard as you might think. If you’re short on ideas, stick to the basics within your theme as it relates to the skill you’re trying to teach. A girl walking with two baskets can be gathering flowers (adding), and losing them along the way (subtraction). Maybe each unifix cube is part of a quilt pattern, and she needs to figure out how many blue and red squares she needs to buy for Momma. Or maybe she’s planning out her market needs,  and one basket has a shopping list in it, and you’re helping her make change in her head as she makes purchases.  Perhaps she has skeins of yarn that need to be divided amongst those baskets, or maybe she’s weighing apples and oranges. The options are only as limited as your own imagination.

Beyond the basics

Don’t abandon story mats when your child has outgrown the building block skills. I’ve had great success teaching area, perimeter, diameter, and more using stories, a custom-designed mat, and some thought-out manipulatives. A picture of a peach and some string taught Jack how to “walk the rim” with the main characters of Roald Dahl’s classic. Some unifix cubes, each representing one square foot, filled barn stalls for Mary Hannah, and helped her understand calculating the area a horse would need to turn all the way around. Again, keep  pondering options  and see what ideas pop into your mind. If you feel led, share your inspiration here!

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