Summer Learning Ideas for Upper Elementary Homeschoolers: Math
Math
Summer Math Ideas for Upper Elementary Homeschoolers
Since we don’t school year-round, our summer goals for math don’t include learning new skills or concepts, but we focus on practicing, improving, and maintaining current skills in math. For example, our student who just completed 4th grade curriculum, will continue to practice the foundation skills of multi-digit multiplication, long division, and the relationship between fractions and decimals.
For a summer math resource, I’m primarily looking for the following:
Short, less than 15 minutes
Not every day
Not every week, especially if we are on vacation
One page
No teacher necessary, independent
With those in mind, there are a few math resources that fit the bill.
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Math Mammoth Skills Review Workbooks
(grades 1-7)
While not expressly created for summer (Maria Miller, creator of Math Mammoth, designed them for use along with the main Light Blue Series curriculum as a way to incorporate spiral review), these workbooks work rather well for summer! Don’t worry about getting through the entire book (grades 3 and 4 both have 90 one-page lessons). Instead, aim to hit a few review pages from every chapter. That way you fully review all the grade-level skills before the next year.
If you already have, or are interested in using them books as spiral review during the school year, you could save a few review pages from each chapter for summer use as well. I love how these Math Mammoth review books are no-fuss, one-page, and independent — similar in style to the full Math Mammoth Light Blue Series curriculum (which we love as well!).
Evan Moor Daily Math Practice Workbooks
(grades 1-6)
I love Evan Moor for its excellent quality across subjects. Evan Moor’s Daily Math Practice Workbook is just that — excellent for short, independent, daily practice. It is organized by half pages Monday-Thursday, and a full page on Fridays. You can use this daily following the format, or ignore the days and be flexible! For example, you could schedule 3 days a week by completing a full-page each day instead of half-pages. Daily Math Practice will keep skills fresh without your kids breaking a sweat.
Evan Moor Daily Word Problems
(grades 1-6)
Another great resource by Evan Moor, Daily Word Problems is a very similar format to Daily Math Practice, but this is ONLY math word problems. I could see this as a intentional summer supplement for kids who struggle with word problems and need specific practice in this area. The short, daily-style format — just one question a day — keeps the workload manageable for the summer while helping with those complex skills like reading comprehension and problem-solving that are important for word problems.