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June 16, 2013 | 14 Comments

Secret Code For Kids { Math Activity }

kindergarten math game

My son loves math and spies so this secret code for kids activity is right up his alley. Math is one way he bonds with his dad .In our 45 Ways To Show Dad You Love Him #29 is ” Do math drills together”  and they really do love doing it. I prefer more playful ways to teach math and I hope between mom and dad my son has a good foundation of support as he learns. This math activity is geared towards kindergarten through 2nd grade but you could adapt it to your child’s level easily. Check out the steps below for my suggestions how to adapt it.

  1. Gather your materials. All you need are 2 pieces of paper as fancy or as plain as you wish, a marker and pencil.
  2. Start by deciding what secret message you are going to write out. and places dashes on the paper. For older children make more complicated phrases and include punctuation. For younger children make sure that you are creating a secret message they will recognize like their name.
  3. Write out the key.secret code math activity for children
  4. Write the clues. For my son I used simple math equations but for younger children you could just use numbers that match up.secret code math
  5. Time to crack the code!secret code math activity for kids
  6. He had a blast – there were a lot of equations and while some were simple, some were tough. I like to balance out challenges with easier ones that help create a sense of confidence.  You may want to have some manipulatives on hand for your child to use . We grabbed some googly eyes for my son to use for some of the clues.secret code math for kindergarten
  7. Getting my son to practice handwriting is tough so sneaking it in with math is my secret weapon. After figuring out a few clues he discovered he had to write his letters more carefully so he could read the message once he had all the clues. This made him slow down which is a challenge at the best of times.secret code math is fun
  8. He did it ! secret code spy mathBeing the just kid that he is he flipped it over and included his own message.secret code math for kids

How do you sneak learning in with your kids during the summer?  For more summer learning ideas check out our Pinterest Boards . I pin new ideas daily ( sometimes hourly… )

Book

summer reading

Detective Camp by Ron Roy is a perfect book to read with this activity. My son and I just finished it tonight. In this easy read chapter book three friends are off to summer camp but it’s not just any summer camp it’s Detective Camp!  I really love this book because not only does it talk about summer camp , friendship and solving mysteries it also introduces kids to Grandma Moses and art forgery. There is even a hidden message that readers must piece together . My 6 year old loved it and even though he is not a reluctant reader the hidden message would be a great motivator for kids who are less excited to read.

This post contains an affiliate link.

Filed Under: Age: Elementary, Age: Kindergarten, Learning After School, Letters & Numbers, Math Activities, Writing Activities | 14 Comments

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14 Comments

  1. Rosemary says

    June 17, 2013 at 5:15 am

    love this idea, thank you

    to Rosemary" aria-label='reply to this comment to Rosemary'>reply to this comment
  2. Cathy @ NurtureStore says

    June 17, 2013 at 7:18 am

    Love this one Allie – and I know my 7-year-old will too.

    to Cathy @ NurtureStore" aria-label='reply to this comment to Cathy @ NurtureStore'>reply to this comment
  3. Lesley says

    June 17, 2013 at 11:40 am

    I really like this idea. My son is only 4 1/2 and is going through a phase of writing me loads of notes everyday. He can´t yet write actual words so it is just pages filled with the letters that he already knows. This is a great idea for him to start forming words from all those letters and telling him it´s a secret code will make it more exciting. But I would need to keep the maths side of it really simple.

    to Lesley" aria-label='reply to this comment to Lesley'>reply to this comment
  4. Tara Ziegmont says

    June 17, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    Grace will love this! Thanks for the great idea!

    to Tara Ziegmont" aria-label='reply to this comment to Tara Ziegmont'>reply to this comment
  5. PragmaticMom says

    June 18, 2013 at 7:19 am

    OMG, my son will LOVE this. Perfect for a book club for boys too! Thanks!

    to PragmaticMom" aria-label='reply to this comment to PragmaticMom'>reply to this comment
  6. Kelly @ IdealistMom.com says

    September 8, 2013 at 8:25 pm

    My 5yo girl will LOVE this! Thank you so much for sharing the idea. Pinning it now!

    to Kelly @ IdealistMom.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kelly @ IdealistMom.com'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      September 8, 2013 at 8:32 pm

      Hope she does and thanks for the pin!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  7. aboundingspray638.newsvine.com says

    June 27, 2014 at 12:18 am

    Quel bonheur de lire ce site web

    to aboundingspray638.newsvine.com" aria-label='reply to this comment to aboundingspray638.newsvine.com'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

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    June 23, 2013 at 4:00 am

    […] cracking a secret math code (over at No Time for Flash Cards) […]

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  2. Top 5 Pins of the Week | Famigo Blog says:
    July 5, 2013 at 10:21 am

    […] but you can still keep the learning going with fun math activities like this one, pinned from No Time for Flash Cards. The idea behind this math game is to get your child to decipher a top secret message by solving […]

    to Top 5 Pins of the Week | Famigo Blog" aria-label='reply to this comment to Top 5 Pins of the Week | Famigo Blog'>reply to this comment
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    July 31, 2013 at 1:32 am

    […] Connect The Dots Math Sight Word Dominoes Spelling With Beads Paint & Read Sight Word Game Secret Code Math […]

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  4. Crack the Secret Code for Kids - hands on : as we grow says:
    February 5, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    […] later found that No Time for Flash Cards did a secret code with addition problems, which would have been great for Henry since he’s starting addition problems […]

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  5. Secret Code Card Table | cardph.com says:
    November 29, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    […] Secret Code For Kids { Math Activity } – No Time For … – My son loves math and spies so this secret code for kids activity is right up his alley. Math is one way he bonds with his dad .In our 45 Ways To Show Dad You Love …… […]

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  6. Week Seventeen: Mathscapades | STEM in Libraries says:
    October 4, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    […] Breakers (optional): We created two different “code breakers” sheets and a key based on this great idea from No Time for Flash Cards. One sheet was the “Addition Edition” (only involving addition problems), the other was […]

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