When you ask a kid what they would rather do, math or Legos, chances are high that the answer is Legos. But did you know that there are great LEGO math activities to teach various math concepts? One of the most fantastic things about the internet is that great ideas are aplenty. Many of the people who come up with them offer free printable(s) to help with the frugal fun.
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What Can Math Concepts Be Taught With Lego Bricks?
Math and Legos go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are so many different math concepts and life skills that can be learned through Lego bricks. I think back to when I was a kid and wished that my math teachers used Legos to make math fun. Using Legos is a great way to teach things like multiplication, division, skip counting, and other concepts. To top it off, Legos are just plain fun to play with, and being able to associate learning with math in a fun way is always a win-win.
Best Lego Math Activities
Some of the best Lego activities require you to know that several different kinds of Legos are best suited for different ages and concept levels. For example, I wouldn’t give a group of pre-school-aged kids regular-sized Lego pieces for the simple fact that this size Lego may be a choking hazard. Using the Duplo or Quatro-sized Legos would be ideal for smaller children, while using the regular-sized Lego bricks is better for learning math with older kids.
1 . Make Your Numbers
There are a ton of different ways to learn how to make numbers with Lego bricks. One of the ideas I found was to print out Lego mats that depict the number using specific Lego(s). Then, with the Duplo Lego Bricks, have your kids shape the number on the mat. Have your students practice this in different ways to make sure they know all of their numbers.
2 . Let’s Count to Twenty
One fun way to learn math is simply by learning to count to bigger numbers. When learning their numbers, most small children can’t wait to show their parents or teacher how high they can go. Using the larger Legos makes that even more fun. Have your kids stack their bricks as high as they can count or as high as they have learned to count that day. Make it even more fun by having a “fast hands” game to see who can stack their Lego bricks the fastest.
3 . Learning Number Groups
This particular activity is a great way to teach kids the basics of multiplication through learning their different number groups. Kids will easily and quickly learn their twos, threes, fours, fives, and tens. Of course, you can use it for the more complicated groups by applying the same math concept. Using Legos (the regular ones), stack several sets in the amount you need, and repeat. For example, if you teach the twos group and want each child to count to twenty, have each kid make ten groups of two Legos. Kids will love building a tower of bricks, all the while learning counting skills.
4 . Exercising Place Value
Learning place value through Lego math concepts has never been more fun. Practice place value with the Fun Express Base Ten Value mats/cards on Amazon paired with a plain set of regular Legos.
These mats have place values from 1, 10, 100, and 1000. Stack your Lego math pieces to practice place value with your child. This is a great hands-on activity that will help children learn how to explore place value and prepare them for higher grade levels in school. If you don’t want to purchase a mat, check out Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls to get one for free.
5 . Addition & Subtraction
There are so many fun ways to learn addition and subtraction. However, when you explore these math concepts using Lego bricks, it can be way more fun. One way to have some Lego math fun is to use addition and subtraction flashcards.
Have your students take a flashcard and continue to stack Lego bricks for each number as well as the final answer. Then, have your students check their answers by counting their Lego bricks. Kids will love to practice their addition and substation skills, and they will have even more fun if you use this method as either a speed game or a challenge.
6 . Brick Multiplication
Lego math multiplication can be a ton of fun with a simple multiplication mat, a pair of dice, and some Lego bricks. You can make a multiplication mat yourself or go online and find a free printable. For example, this website called “Frugal Fun for Boys” has some fantastic ideas to have math fun and includes a free printable mat for your activity. There is also a book on Amazon entitled, Teaching Multiplication Using LEGO Bricks with many great resources to help teach this math concept. Roll the dice, place the required amount of Lego bricks, and use that Lego math to multiply it.
7 . Lego Math Word Problems
Math is hard. Word problems are even harder. I mean, why are their words and numbers in a sentence…together! However, I can almost be certain I would have been far better off learning (what I believed to be) complicated math word problems using Lego math to solve the problem instead of piecing apart a sentence. Instead, practice with your students by picking apart the necessary sections of the word problem and piecing together an answer with their bricks. Visualizing the different portions of the problem helps kids compartmentalize what is necessary and important and what isn’t.
8 . Graphing with Legos
Work on a bar graph with your students. This Lego math method is lots of fun when practicing graphing on the X and Y-axis. Inspiration Laboratories uses the fun idea of using Lego bowling. Have your students keep score by creating a Lego bar graph instead of simply keeping score on a piece of paper. What a cool activity. Have each of your students get a Lego mat and several different colors of bricks, and teach them how to label the X and Y axis on their Lego graph. When all of that is in place, let the Lego bowling and graphing activity begin.
9 . Create Lego Patterns
Even though it isn’t necessarily a math problem, recognizing patterns and shapes is the building block for Geometry later on down the line when students get into higher education levels. Using Lego math to help kids learn how to use different Lego pieces to practice creating different patterns and shapes. Plus, you will be amazed at the different pattern ideas that your kids will come up with using these Lego math activities. Kids will also love the challenge of being able to be free to learn and use their creativity.
10 . Lego Math Fractions
Using Lego math to learn fractions makes fractions way easier to learn. For example, have your students practice whole fractions using a Lego piece with eight knobs, then use smaller pieces to create fractions. You can also practice addition and subtraction with fractions using Lego math.
11 . Lego Math Division
Like all of the other Lego activities and games, there are many ways to use Lego pieces to help children learn division with Lego math concepts. Simply by searching YouTube, you can explore and find a ton of great resources.
The Activity book by Dr. Sherry Disseler has a myriad of ideas for more fun as your children learn how to explore the world of division effectively.
12 . Lego Money Skills
It can be super easy when thinking about the math skills children need to learn to gloss over the need to learn how to count money. Well, sure enough, Lego math can be applied to this skill as well. Thrifty Homeschoolers has a free printable (thanks for sharing!) that shows you exactly how to use larger Lego blocks to learn how to count money using addition and subtraction. Plus, let your children keep the change, and you will create active money-counting learners.
Final Thoughts
At the end of each lesson, our goal, whether you are teaching from home or in the classroom, is to challenge our children to explore and build knowledge to get them to the next level of their education. Sometimes, even the simplest of math (like addition) can be confusing. With Lego blocks, learning math suddenly becomes fun.