Maths News

Maths at the Supermarket 

There are so many opportunities to apply our maths learning in the real world. One great example is at the supermarket, where we can use maths to compare prices, calculate discounts, estimate totals, and work within a budget.

Next time you grab a trolley, try these activities to get your child thinking mathematically:

Prep - Year 2 

• Ask your child to count out specific items: "Can you put 3 red apples and 2 green apples in the bag? How many do we have altogether?" 
• You can also go on a shape hunt - looking for cylinders (soup cans) or rectangular prisms (cereal boxes).

Years 3 - 6

• Add the cost of two or more items. 
• Play a game of "Guess the Total." Round prices to the nearest dollar and keep a running mental tally as you shop. See who can get closest to the final total cost. 
• Look closely at the shelf tags to discuss "Unit Pricing" (e.g., price per 100g). Ask your child to find the best value. 
• Sale items - ask how much money has been saved by the discount or calculate what the discount is.