Mathematical Barrier Games
A barrier game involves two or more players. One player secretly draws a picture/diagram and hides it from the other players. The picture is carefully described so that the others can draw the image hidden behind the barrier, usually a book standing open.
Here is a drawing to start you off.
Instructions could include:
- Draw a circle near the top of the page.
- Draw a square joined to the bottom of the circle and a bit bigger than the circle.
- Draw two long rectangles from the bottom of the square.
- Draw a smaller rectangle sticking out sideway from each rectangle.
- Draw 3 small triangles in a column in the middle of the square.
- Draw a line at an upward angle from the top right corner of the square and put a small circle on the end.
- Draw a line at a downward angle from the top left corner of the square and put a circle at the end.
- Finish the head any way you like.
Note: your drawing can be as easy or as hard as required.
Where is the maths?
Depending on your diagram and age of child there is plenty of scope for:
- drawing and naming shapes and their properties,
- using numbers and counting,
- giving and following positional language clues including naming angles if appropriate,
- including measurements, e.g. a square with sides 6centimetres.
P.S. Did you know that there is a correlation between visual spatial thinking and positional vocabulary and later maths success?
Stay safe and enjoy some fun maths.