How to Graph Lines in a Fun Activity
Create a fun game to teach young children how to graph. For children ages 8 to 11 or from the third to the fifth grade, graphing data can be a boring chore for a math class. A fun activity to graph lines should involve three different sized foam balls and a cardboard box basket to throw into. This carnival-style game introduces the concept of bar graphs and the children have fun creating their own data to graph.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 11-inch strips of paper
- Cardboard box
- Tape
- Small foam ball
- Medium foam ball
- Large foam ball
- Graph paper
Instructions
-
-
1
Divide the students into three groups and give each student a strip of paper. Explain to the children that they should write the headings, "Team," "Small," "Medium" and "Large" on their strips of paper. Each child should write their team number under the heading "Team."
-
2
Place three cardboard box baskets at one end of the classroom. Mark a line with tape 10 feet away where the students will stand to throw their balls.
-
-
3
Give each child a small ball to toss into their team's basket, while keeping score. After 25 throws, write the number of baskets made by the small ball under the heading, "Small."
-
4
Trade the small ball for the medium sized one. Have the children throw into their team's basket again for 25 throws. Record the times each team made a basket under the heading of "Medium."
-
5
Give the students the large foam ball to toss. Record the made baskets after 25 throws.
-
6
Tally up the total number of baskets made by each student for each ball type. Ask students to create 25 vertical axes to the left, for the total number of throws for each ball on their graph paper. Three headings are needed for the horizontal axes because there were three ball types. Be sure to have enough space for data for the three different teams that will be displayed at each ball type.
-
7
Convert the data from the ball throwing game onto the drawn bar graph. For example, if team one had 10 baskets, team two had 20 baskets and team three had 14 baskets with the small ball, graph the first heading "Small" on the horizontal axes, with a vertical bar with the coordinate 10. Then side-by-side to that graphed value, at the same heading, graph team two at 20 baskets by illustrating the vertical coordinate 20 into a vertical bar. Side-by-side to this value is team three at 14 baskets.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Be sure to give each team a separate color on the bar graph. Use crayons to color in the bars.
Each heading should have three vertical values for the number of baskets made by each team.
Children can create a bar graph with an empty soda bottle and sand. Count each student's number of buttons on their clothing; add 1/2 cup of sand for each button. The amount of sand represents the data collected.
Record daily outside temperatures on a coordinate graph for a fun graphing activity.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
