Family Fun: Maths Activities

We’re sharing two fun activities to support maths learning at home:

Firstly, our feature book is Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons, by Eric Litwin.

This fun, rhyming book does more than entertain — it helps build your child’s early maths and language skills. The audiobook is available on YouTube, providing a fun addition of music to support learning.

Mathematical Skills:

• As Pete loses his buttons, children practice counting backwards and learn the idea of “taking away.”
• Numbers are clearly shown throughout the book, helping tamariki connect spoken numbers to written ones.
• Understanding Zero: Pete’s belly button introduces the concept of zero in a fun way!

Developing oral language skills:

• Phrases like “Did Pete cry? Goodness no!” encourages children to join in.
• The story’s flow helps build early reading skills.
• Words like “groovy” and “popped off” add playful new language.

Read together and let your child say the repeated lines. Count buttons and talk about what’s happening to boost learning through fun!

Secondly, here’s a fun whānau challenge: Shape Hunt!  

Can you find and name 5 different shapes around your home or garden?

1. Go on a Shape Hunt with your child. Look for circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, or even stars and hearts!
2. Point to, name, and talk about each shape:

              “That plate is a circle!”

              “How many sides does this box have?”

              “Let’s find something with pointy corners!”

3. Take a photo of each shape you find together!

This activity helps to build early geometry skills and supports oral language through naming, describing, and comparing shapes, all while having fun!