Hopscotch is basically a giant calculator, right?

This week on the No Small Matter Vlog, we're continuing our summer STEM series with a demonstration of how you can use a classic childhood game — hopscotch — to teach addition and subtraction. Watch as Rachel and some of her students try this lesson for preschool math out.

We're having some STEM fun with early learners by playing hopscotch! Preschool teacher Rachel Giannini and some of her students practice adding numbers by jumping from square to square on what is basically a giant calculator. Join the fun and try this activity with the preschool-aged learners you know.

The basics? When you think about it ... drawing a hopscotch grid is like drawing a giant calculator! So put it to use. A teacher or a parent can call out a number, and have a child jump to that number. Then call out one more, and they jump there. Here's the trickiest part — adding those two numbers together and then jumping to the sum! It's fun, engages a group, and helps preschool-aged learners think fast by adding in their heads or on their fingers.

Give it a try before the summer's through!