How to Turn Family Movie Night into Math Night

a child measures popcorn from a bowl into small containers — Serving popcorn is a great time to practice measurement. | Stephanie Murray

August 11, 2022

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Pop some popcorn because it's movie night! Our family has a movie night each Friday evening in warm months. We lay blankets on the ground, set up a snack stand and pick out a new flick. This family tradition helps us keep a small routine during jam-packed weeks. It's also an easy chance to sneak in some early math to keep the kids learning by talking about concepts like shapes, counting, measuring and spatial reasoning.

Whether streaming, renting or downloading, your family can snuggle around the screen to enjoy snacks, movies and math. Here are a few ways to incorporate math into your next family movie night for the best ticket to a fun family evening.

Take a Poll on Which Movie to Watch

It would be wonderful if my family agreed on what movie to watch every time. But more often than not, my daughters have different opinions on which to choose. Taking a poll helps solve the problem fairly. As the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests, limit the available options to two or three movies to ensure that your preschooler will not become overwhelmed with choices. Then, ask the group to raise their hand if they select a particular movie. Have your children count the number of hands and compare the results to the other choices. Using phrases like "greater than," "more," and "less" elevate the conversation by adding math talk.

Measure and Portion a Family Snack

As you make snacks, have your child help measure, count, and sort ingredients into sets.

Divide one bag of popcorn into three small bowls.
Pour half cups of milk into each cup.
Place four pieces of rainbow-colored fruit on each plate.

You can also make a trail mix with 1 cup of pretzels, 1 cup of your favorite cereal, and 1 cup of dried fruit. Count as you scoop each ingredient into the bowl. Stir all the ingredients together and divide them between your movie theater guests.

a child measures popcorn and pours it into a container — A child measures popcorn from a bowl. | Stephanie Murray

Create Comfy Seating Options

Spatial sense is all about the relation of objects to each other, for example, above, under or next to. Adding vocabulary terms helps visualize these spatial relationships. Use these directional phrases when setting up movie seats. For example, "Let's place the big blanket on the bottom, next to the couch," or, "What if we lay three cushions in a row with the big cushion in the middle."

Talk About the Length of the Movie

Use movie night to introduce the concept of time. Start small with younger children by comparing the movie's length to something familiar. For example, "This movie will be as long as our drive to grandma's apartment." Point out the big and little hands on a clock and show the length in minutes and seconds for older kids. You can also compare the length of a movie as usually longer than a television episode.

Find Shapes in the Movie

Keep a tally of how many stars, triangles or diamonds you see during the movie. Make it a challenge by trying to find more than five of each shape. Have even more fun by making pipe cleaner magnifying glasses for careful observations when viewing.

Not sure what movie to pick? Consider browsing the free titles from the hoopla digital library at the Los Angeles Public Library, which features PBS KIDS series like "Dinosaur Train," "Wild Kratts," and "Sesame Street."

As PBS KIDSreminds us, some young children might laugh at scary situations in movies, while others deeply internalize the events. Consider reading the reviews on Common Sense Media, the leading nonprofit source of entertainment and technology recommendations. Their "First Movies for Kids" list features 60 kid-friendly titles, including many PBS KIDS favorites:

"The Daniel Tiger Movie: Won't You Be Our Neighbor?" (2018, 45 minutes) Daniel is hopeful about meeting a new friend as the Neighborhood welcomes the new family moving in next door to the Tiger family.