Solve the math problems to create an animal puzzle!
A fun way
to promote your child’s math automaticity, coordination, spatial awareness, visual skills and more!
All worksheets are printable PDF documents
Instructions for All Worksheets
1. Download and print both the colored answer worksheet and the equation worksheet.
(Be sure printer is set to US Letter, Fill Entire Page, and the correct orientation for Landscape or Portrait. Some worksheets are landscape and some are portrait orientations.)
2. Solve the problems on the equation worksheet.
3. On the answer worksheet, cut out the rectangles on the white lines.
4. Paste the rectangles/answers on the correct problems on the equation worksheet. The secret animal will be revealed.
In addition to math skills and concepts, these worksheets provide creative reinforcement of many other skills.
Automaticity
The more you practice any skill the easier and more automatic it becomes. Along with this comes additional speed at completing the task. Automaticity in solving math problems might be compared to Steve Jobs wearing black shirts and jeans everyday. This freed his mind to focus on more important things than what to wear. Think of children memorizing the basics as freeing their minds for more important problem solving. Automaticity releases them from the struggle of figuring out the answer each time a problem is presented to them. Practicing addition and subtraction in a variety of ways will help students become more comfortable with the process, which in turn frees their minds for more complicated problems. These worksheets are a fun way to learn automaticity.
Motor Skills
In addition to speeding up the process and making room for more important thoughts, the cutting and pasting attributes of the worksheets are also important. Using scissors and paste help to build up the tiny muscles in the hands, encourage bilateral coordination, and hand eye coordination. These skills transfer into other areas of a child’s life including eating, writing, dressing, painting, manipulating tools, brushing teeth and hundreds of other daily activities. All these skills must be practiced. Hopefully these worksheets will be a fun and interesting way improve many other areas of a child’s life.
The Importance of Scissors
In addition to the above mentioned benefits of using a scissors, scissors also help with bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body at the same time), and spatial awareness.My favorite scissors for students just learning scissors skills is Maped Kidicut Safety Scissors, which can be purchased at Amazon. The scissor's bunny tail encourages children to keep their thumb and bunny tail pointed up toward the ceiling when cutting.
Parents and Children Who Glue Together, Bond Together
Research has found in this technological age, great predictors of future success result from creative engagements. Face to face interactions in the early years are critical for social development. So print out the worksheets and know you are preparing your child for academic and social success while having fun!
