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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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