As a parent, you’re your child’s first and most important teacher — and the good news is, you don’t need fancy equipment or complicated lessons to help your child build strong maths skills.
In fact, some of the best maths moments happen in simple, everyday life. From counting change at the shop to measuring ingredients in the kitchen, every day is full of opportunities to show your child that maths is all around them — and that it can be fun, too!
Everyday Ways to Weave Maths Into Home Life
🛒 At the Shops:
Ask your child to help you count coins or compare prices. Older children can estimate the total cost or check the change you get back.
🍳 In the Kitchen:
Cooking is full of maths! Let your child measure out flour or milk, count spoonfuls, or help you double or halve a recipe.
🎲 Play Together:
Board games and card games help children practise counting, adding, and recognising numbers — all while having fun.
Have you played Mathopoly Times Tables Game yet? The Mathopoly Times Tables Game for the Foundation Phase is a printable, engaging, educational twist on the classic board game that helps young learners master their times tables in a fun and interactive way.
🧺 Laundry Time:
Sorting clothes? Ask them to match socks in pairs, count items in groups, or spot patterns like stripes and spots.
🕰️ Planning the Day:
Use clocks and calendars to talk about time — “If it’s 3:00 now, what time will it be in an hour?” or “How many days until your birthday?”
The best part? Children learn that maths isn’t just something that happens in a workbook — it’s a skill they use every single day.
Adding a Little Extra Magic: Twinkl’s Engaging Resources
While everyday moments are powerful, sometimes children need a bit more structure — and a dash of excitement — to keep them interested. That’s where Twinkl’s co-branded resources come in.
Twinkl has teamed up with beloved brands like Mattel to bring you creative, themed activities that make maths feel fresh and fun.
One favourite for parents and teachers alike is the Barbie: Magnificent Maths Activities Pack.
Bring Barbie Into Maths Time
Designed for children aged 5–9, this special pack was developed in partnership with Mattel. It includes two handy folders of activities — one for younger children and one for slightly older learners.
Inside you’ll find:
- Colour by number and colour by calculation sheets
- I spy numbers within 20
- Multiplication and division mosaics
- Crack the code maths challenges.
With Barbie’s inspiring “You Can Be Anything” theme woven through every page, these colourful, ready-to-print activities make practising maths feel like an adventure, not a chore.
Why Parents Love It
✅ Easy to download and print — no fuss, no extra prep.
✅ Fun, familiar characters help keep children motivated.
✅ Designed by real teachers who know how to keep children engaged.
Download the Barbie pack today and help them discover that numbers really can be fun!
So next time you’re out shopping, baking, or playing a game together, remember: every moment can be a maths moment. And when you want to add a little extra sparkle, simply log in to your Twinkl account and download the Barbie: Magnificent Maths Activities Pack to keep the fun going at home.
The company provides high quality, online learning materials and services, which are all teacher-created and checked.
Twinkl offers over 1 million resources, with new content added daily. This ranges from schemes of work and assessments to augmented reality games and much more.
Twinkl is used and trusted by schools and educators in over 200 countries and regions, including primary and secondary school teachers, nursery workers and parents.
Twinkl has over 1400 team members based in its two Sheffield offices and remotely around the globe, including a large team in South Africa.
More information can be found at twinkl.co.za
Our story:
The idea for Twinkl came to Jonathan and Susie Seaton when Susie was working as an Early Years teacher and couldn’t find the materials she needed for her lessons online. As a result, Susie was working evenings and weekends to make resources from scratch.
Speaking to colleagues and friends, the couple found that Susie was not alone in her situation. So, to help other teachers, they began creating and publishing educational resources online from their spare bedroom.
The business grew quickly and organically as educators embraced the high-quality materials. The team grew quickly too, with current and former teachers, as well as experts in content and design soon joining Jonathan and Susie in their mission 'to help those who teach.'
Jonathan and Susie are delighted that Twinkl is now taking this mission across the world, returning time and energy to educators that is better spent in the classroom with their pupils or on themselves at home.
