Let’s Get Maths Moving! Part 2
Let's Get Maths Moving! Part 2
Did you enjoy the previous Math and Movement blog entry? Looking for ADDITIONAL activities GREATER THAN the ones before? Read on to find out more - MINUS the puns. (I’ll stop.)
1. Number Shapes with the body
Invite students to make the number 1 using only their hands - a flat hand, fingers together, held up in the sky with the palm facing one side of the room should look like a straight line front on - a number 1. (Just the index finger is cheating - too easy.)
Can they make a number 2? They might need two hands for this.
A number 3? They might need to separate some fingers now.
Continue like this through to number 10 just using hands.
Repeat, asking students to use both their arms and hands. Make physically larger numbers.
Now they’ve warmed up and understood the concept, ask students to stand up and use their whole bodies to create numbers! This can mean bending legs, folding at the hips, making thin shapes, wide shapes - whatever is required within the realms of body shape.
Developments
EYFS & KS1: Can students perform these bodily number shapes along to a numbers song or chant?
Lower KS2: As a class, agree on body shapes for the mathematical symbols. Which sums can students now make using their bodies?
Upper KS2: As above, agree on body shapes for the mathematical symbols altogether.
Divide the class into groups of five or six.
Write a number on the board.
In their groups, students are to make a sum using their bodies whereby the number on the board is the answer.
Specify whether it has to be an addition/subtraction or multiplication/division sum.
2. Creating Patterns with the body
Here are two different ways of creating patterns: repetitive and cumulative. Younger students will find repetitive patterns easier to understand and cumulative patterns can be used to challenge older students.
Repetitive Patterns
Invite a student to the front of the class to make any position with their body. (Keep it simple, kids!)
Invite a second student to do the same, next to the first.
Invite a third student to join the line, replicating the first student’s position. There should now be three students creating an A, B, A pattern.
Invite a fourth student to join the line. Allow them to figure out which stance they should take on.
Continue inviting students up to join the line, aiding their calculation as to which position they should utilise.
Repeat this using different students to start new patterns.
Developments
EYFS: This might be enough. You might like to use this as a maths warmer or intro to maths time. Can the process get faster each time? How quickly can the whole class complete a new pattern?
KS1: Add additional shapes to the pattern. Can the pattern consist of 3 or 4 shapes at a time?
Lower KS2: Split the body into a top and bottom half. Every time a new pattern is created the first position can only use the top half of the body and the second position can only use the bottom half. (Think about the joints to help create lots of different positions.)
Upper KS2: Invite students to use action or movement instead of static positions in their patterns. Allow mimes to make this really fun; eating breakfast, tying my shoe, eating breakfast, tying my shoe…!
They could also create rhythmic repeating patterns using body percussion. (4 stamps, 2 claps, 4 stamps, 2 claps…)
Cumulative Patterns
Invite a student to perform a very simple action - e.g. bend their knees - and hold the position.
The next student repeats their action (bend their knees), adds their own - arms out to side - and holds the position.
A third student repeats the first two actions (bend their knees, arms out to side), adds their own action - hands on hips - and holds the position.
Continue this process until the class begins to struggle to think of ideas or until everyone in the class has joined the line.
If possible - and to save space - create patterns in a circle so the first and last positions end up next to each other and students can enjoy seeing how they transformed a position step by step.
Development
Lower KS1: Set this up within the game I went to the supermarket and I bought… You can then take away the dialogue and explain to students that they’ve created a pattern.
Upper KS2: If your students get really good at creating cumulative patterns with actions, set them to the beat of a metronome. Students have to jump into the line performing each action and creating their new action on each beat!
Finally, if you just can’t get enough of Maths and Movement, you can download our bonus KS1 patterns activity here! Meanwhile watch this space for Part 3.
- Sarah