How to practice counting, sorting and fair sharing with your kid at home

Math doesn't only happen on worksheets. It happens every time your child sorts socks, counts out forks or divides a bag of grapes. For 6- to 8-year-olds, these everyday moments are some of the best math practice there is, because the numbers mean something. Count the forks wrong and someone eats spaghetti with their hands.

Why everyday math works

Real jobs, real numbers. The CDC's tips for ages 6 to 8 include helping your child build a sense of responsibility with household tasks, such as setting the table. Setting the table is also a counting lesson: one plate per person, one fork per plate.

Sorting and comparing is grade-level math. First graders in schools using the Common Core standards learn to organize and interpret data with up to three categories, and to answer questions about how many are in each. A laundry pile sorted into whites, darks and colors is exactly that.

Fair sharing leads to fractions. The U.S. Institute of Education Sciences' guide on teaching fractions recommends building on children's informal understanding of sharing to develop early fraction ideas. When your child deals out snacks "one for you, one for me," they're laying the groundwork for division and fractions.

Your attitude counts too

In a University of Chicago study of 438 first and second graders, children whose parents were anxious about math learned less math over the school year and were more likely to become anxious about math themselves, but mainly when those parents helped with math homework often. Parents' math anxiety didn't affect children's reading.

The researchers suggest parents avoid voicing negative feelings about math around kids, and look for positive ways to do math together. Everyday counting games are perfect for that: low pressure, no worksheets, and nobody's being graded. So skip the "I was never a math person." Try "Let's figure it out together."

Skill 1: Count and sort laundry by color

1. Sort the clothes into color piles.
2. Count the pieces in each pile.
3. Say or write each number.
4. Find which pile has the most.

Go further: "How many more darks than whites?" "If we add these 3 socks, how many will there be?" That's addition and subtraction with something to touch. (More on sorting in sorting laundry.)

Skill 2: Set the table, counting plates and forks

1. Count the people eating tonight.
2. Count out that many plates.
3. Count the same number of forks.
4. Check every seat has one of each.

This is one-to-one matching, a core early-math idea: each person gets exactly one. When a guest comes over, ask: "We usually need 4. How many do we need tonight?"

The challenge: equal shares of snacks

The mastery goal is to count out snacks so everyone gets an equal share.

1. Count how many people are sharing.
2. Hand out one snack at a time, in turns.
3. Check every plate has the same number.
4. Any left over? Decide fairly what to do.

The leftovers are the best part. Twelve grapes for three people works out evenly. Thirteen doesn't. What's fair? Split the last one? Save it? Give it to whoever didn't get the biggest piece last time? There's no single right answer, and that's what makes it a great conversation, and an early taste of remainders.

Keep it playful

• Count everything: stairs, cars, steps to the mailbox.
• Estimate first. "How many crackers do you think are in the box?" Then count.
• Let them catch your mistakes. "I counted 5 forks... wait, is that right?"
• Praise the thinking, not just the answer. "How did you figure that out?"

When to check in

If counting is still very hard for your child, like they can't match one number to one object, or numbers don't seem to stick at all, talk with their teacher. Some kids need extra help with number sense, and early help works best.

Make it a quest

In Family Quests, this is the Counter skill, the first step on the Math branch. Practice quests are count and sort laundry by color and set the table counting plates and forks, and the mastery quest is count out snacks so everyone gets an equal share. Start free.

Next: teach your kid to tell time, or read about sorting laundry.