How to Teach Your Child Math Using Legos

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Legos being used for learning

The best way to teach your child how to count by tens is with Legos! I found this awesome idea from one of my followers on Instagram, and it’s perfect for kids who love using their hands. 

It only takes about five minutes, so you’ll have time after work or before bed to get them caught up quickly if that suits you better.

Counting by Tens Using Legos

Building with Legos is a great way to teach children math and counting skills. Counting by tens can be especially fun and engaging with Legos.

Here’s how you can encourage your child to learn more about counting with Lego bricks:

1. Use ten pieces of the same color Lego brick to start off the lesson. You don’t need to use the same type of brick, but it will make counting easier.

2. Begin by asking your child to lay out one row of ten bricks. This will help them visualize what 10 looks like and how many pieces they need to count.

3. Ask your child to add another row of 10 pieces to the first row. Explain that they now have 20 pieces laid out.

Reinforce this by having them count each row one at a time, starting from 1 to 10 and then from 11 to 20.

4. Continue adding ten rows until you reach 50 or 100 pieces. This will help your child understand how many pieces they will need to count when counting by tens.

5. Once your child is comfortable counting the pieces, have them use their newfound skills to help you build something with the Lego bricks.

Ask them to count out ten pieces for each part of the object they are building – this way, they can see how numbers fit into real-life applications and make the counting even more fun.

Teaching Multiplication & Skip Counting Using Legos

Legos are a great way to help kids learn multiplication and skip counting. With just a few Legos, you can create fun activities that will get children learning quickly. Here are some ideas: 

Create an Array 

Give each child a set of Legos in one color, such as red. Have them use the Legos to create an array – a rectangular pattern of rows and columns. 

Explain that this is just like a multiplication problem, with each row representing the first number (the multiplier) and each column representing the second number (the multiplicand). 

Once they understand it, have them use their Legos to make arrays for different multiplication problems. 

Skip Counting

Have each child pick out a few Legos in different colors. Ask them to line up the Legos in a row, starting with one Lego of any color and then adding Legos by skip counting – (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc. )

Depending on how old they are, you can make the skip counting easier (1, 2, 3, 4…) or harder (2, 4, 8, 16…). 

Have them make patterns with the different colors and then explain how this is also a multiplication problem. 

Multiplication Games

You can also create fun multiplication games with Legos that will help kids understand the concept better. Have children form teams and give each team a set of Legos in multiple colors. 

Each team can race to see who can build the most multiplication arrays using their Legos in two minutes, or you can create an obstacle course with multiplication problems they must solve before moving on. 

How Do Legos Help Problem-Solving?

There is no one right way to build a Lego structure, so kids are free to explore different options and find the best approach.

This trial-and-error process helps kids develop critical thinking skills and learn how to persevere in the face of setbacks. 

In addition, the act of building with Legos can also help kids to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

By playing these games and activities, kids can have fun while learning the basics of multiplication and skip counting. Like learning math with dominoes, Legos can help kids understand these concepts hands-on, so they can retain them for years to come.

Author

  • Cam Russo

    Cam is a blogger, author, and content strategist with a keen love for the written word. His journey with high-functioning autism has kindled a strong advocacy for autism awareness. Today, Cam dedicates his efforts to educating parents. He sees laughter as a game-changer in learning, and strives every day to make education a fun and enjoyable journey for all his readers.