Pretend Play Lemonade Math Game | FREE Printable

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So Squeaks is super in to math right now. It’s nearly all she wants to do when we play school. I can maybe get her to do a beginning sounds game and her Bob books, but then she wants to do something math related. But since I’m not a huge fan of endless worksheets, creating a fun math game has been on my to-do list.

I confess, I have no problem handing my kiddos the iPad to play an educational game. We monitor the amount of time of course and keep it to a minimum, but I still think it’s a fun and valuable tool. The key word for me though is EDUCATIONAL. I won’t have my five year old hooked on Candy Crush.

Squeaks is a big fan of the Khan Academy kids apps (and I’m a big fan of the fact that they’re free!). One of the math games in particular, she could play for hours if I let her. In the game the object is to mix different ingredients into a blender to complete a smoothie recipe. Five oranges plus three grapes and so on. Something about this game has her hooked. And that’s wonderful but I’m not ok with letting her play all the time. Occasionally, sure, but not nearly as much as she’d like.

So I created my own math game! Lemonade Math!

It’s a heavy nod to Squeaks beloved smoothie game, but it’s hands on. It combines writing practice, number sense, and basic addition and subtraction in a super cute little pretend play activity.

First, write your “order” on the order ticket in the form of a simple addition or subtraction problem.Keep things pretty simple at first. Starting with single digit addition, no teens, maybe only adding up to ten. Then work your way up, practice a little subtraction, and let your kiddo come up with a few “orders” of their own.

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Next, use any small object to act as lemons to count in the pitcher. Of course it helps the imaginative play aspect if the objects are as representative of lemons as possible. I separated out these yellow chips from our set of counting chips and I think they’re just right. You could also use yellow snap cubes, yellow buttons, yellow beads, or separate the lemons out of this super cute set of counters.

Work with your little one to add or subtract and finally have them write their answer (aka their completed order) in the nice tall glass of lemonade! See how many orders they can complete in a set time. Squeaks is a long time sticker enthusiast so working toward a goal and receiving a sticker as reward is right up her alley.

This cute little game is perfect for Spring, and just a warning, you might want a glass of lemonade after you play. Just sayin’.

Get your Lemonade Math game FREE in my Printables Library!

Take me to the FREE Printables Library!

You might also like to check out my dice math games! I created these awhile back but never wrote a full post on them. My Roll, Write, Count game is great for little ones just learning to count and recognize numbers. I mentioned it in my post on our preschool busy binders. The other dice game, Roll, Build, Add is perfect for introducing addition and working on number sense. Squeaks still likes playing both!

Get your “Roll It, Write It, Count It” Printable Dice Game here!

Get your “Roll It, Build it, Add It” Printable Dice Game here!

What’s your little one’s favorite subject and what’s their favorite way to practice? I’d love to hear about it!