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 Grade 3 Math Activities
Making Number Portraits
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People frequently think that numbers and numerals are the same
thing, but they are actually quite different. Numbers are quantities
or amounts, such as four Popsicles or four rabbits. There always needs to be a number of something. Numerals are the symbols that stand for
numbers, such as the numeral “4.”
In this activity, your child can gain a deeper understanding of
numbers and the basics of arithmetic by exploring different ways that
quantities can be arranged, put together, and taken apart.
Here's what you need:
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| Paper |
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| Glue |
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| Materials for making “portraits,” such as:
beans, dried macaroni, squares of colored paper, colored beads, or
seashells |
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| Grid paper (optional: make your own paper with little squares
using a centimeter ruler) |
Here's what you do:
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Ask your child to choose a specific number of pieces of material.
Ask:
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| Can the pieces be shaped to make a square? Triangle? Circle?
Staircase? |
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| Can the pieces be put into equal pairs (two equal rows)?
Three equal groups? Ten equal groups? |
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| What patterns can be made using squares of four different
colors? Five different colors? |
Have your child record her findings in “portraits”
or on a chart. After she has explored several numbers, ask her to
make some comparisons. Encourage her to answer such questions as:
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| What are the similarities and differences among the numbers? |
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| Which numbers can make pairs? Why? |
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| Which numbers can make squares? Stairs? Why? |
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| Which numbers can make many different equal groups? Which
numbers can’t make any equal groups? Which number makes the
most groups? |
Keep going...
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After your child has explored different numbers and come up with
ideas about them, you can help her link these ideas with familiar
operations, such as adding, subtracting, and multiplying. Ask her
to write number sentences to go with different portraits, or ask her
to come up with a problem situation that one of the pictures could
show.
For example, a portrait of 12 in pairs could have the number sentence:
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12. It could also illustrate the problem,
“Twelve people had to break into couples for the dance. How
many couples would they make?” Encourage your child to be creative
and to explain how the number sentences and problems match the portraits.
With many of these experiences, your child will gain a strong sense
of the sizes and characteristics of different numbers.
Grade 3 Math Activities
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