Monkey Math

The Fun Way to Learn Simple Addition!

Age: 4+

This learning maths game by ‘Learning Mates’ has a total of 16 pieces. There is a little monkey that is on a stand and his head rocks back and forth depending on what numbers are placed on each handle that he is holding. He is 7 .25 inches tall and 9.5 inches wide. Plus there are 15 “banana bunches” or number tokens. Of these 15, there are 2 of each of numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 1 of each of numbers: 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Also included is an instruction booklet showing how to make learning simple addition a whole banana bunch of fun!

When the monkey is not balanced with equal numbers on either hand, the side with the greater number hangs down low and the other hand will be up. While his hand hangs low, his eyes are wild-looking (crossed) since the eye sockets are not lining up with his eyes. That means it’s time to try again. When he’s balanced, you can see his eyes are looking straight at you.

When a number is placed on the right hand, you have to balance the bananas by putting the equal “number” of bananas /tokens on the other hand. For example, if you put a single bunch of 10 bananas on the right hand, you will have to put 2 or 3 of the other numbers together to get the total on the left hand up to 10 bananas. E.g. to make 10 – you can put 8 and 2 or 7 and 3 or 5, 4 and 1 etc. When you do have equal numbers showing, the monkey’s arms are balanced and you can see his eyes looking straight at you.

This helps children start learning about numbers and how they add up to other numbers. It helps teach about balance on a scale and helps them begin to grasp beginning math concepts in a FUN way. This game also introduces number recognition, sorting and counting.

How to make maximum use of ‘Monkey Math’!!!

1. For younger children you can start with using the banana bunches that are in pairs. Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 can be used to pair with each other or match together for number recognition.

Get your child to find the same numbers and pair them.

2. The banana bunches can also be used to reinforce number recognition.

a. You can call out a number and your child can pick the number up for you.
b. You can show the number to your child and your child says the number name to you.

3. Your child can use the banana bunches to arrange the numbers in sequence from 1 – 10.

a. Can be used to arrange numbers from the smallest to biggest
b. Or biggest to smallest.

This gives a better visual perception as the child is able to see the numbers of bananas increasing or decreasing in quantity as he lays the bananas.

4. To begin using the Monkey balance use the banana bunches that are in pairs first so your child just hangs the exact same pair to balance the monkey’s arms before moving on to other number combinations.

You can get Monkey Math at Shopee.

Contributed by Nafisa Juzer.

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