Problem Solving Activities for Grades K - 2

These activities will help your child develop problem solving skills, an important "strand" or math theme tested in the WASL math activities.

Problem Solving Activities - Use the following links to see the activity.
Shirts and Pants Handshakes Shopping

(Activities taken from Mathematics a Guide for Parents to Everyday Mathematics and Helping Your Child at Home Grades K-6, published by Central Kitsap School District Department of Curriculum and Instruction, 2000.)

Shirts and Pants

  • Have your child determine the combinations of shirts and pants. Ask, "If you had three different colored shirts and two different colored pairs of pants, would you have enough combinations of shirts and pants to wear a different outfit to school each day for a week? For two weeks?
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Handshakes

  • With at least three people, form a line. The first person in line shakes hands with each person in line. How many handshakes are exchanged? The next person shakes hands with everyone who has not already shaken his/her hand. How many handshakes were exchanged this time? Continue until each person in line has shaken hands with everyone else. How many total handshakes were exchanged?
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Shopping

  • When getting ready to go grocery shopping, involve your child in making a list. Have him/her mark with checks or tallies the number of each item needed. When you arrive at the store, he/she can compare prices of an item you bought before and need to buy again. You can ask, "How much did it cost before? How much does it cost this week? Should we pay this week's price? Wait until the price goes down? Stock up if it is on sale?
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