Creative Activities for International Day of Maths 2025

What better way to explore the world of geometry than by creating your own city?

 The Shape City Challenge encourages students to design and build a miniature city using only geometric shapes. Using everyday materials such as paper, cardboard, or even fabric, students can create buildings, roads, and other structures—each one representing a different geometric shape. 

This hands-on challenge not only reinforces understanding of shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles, but it also lets students apply their creativity to construct a city that reflects the symmetry and balance found in the world around us.

How to Do It:

• Provide students with a variety of materials like cardboard, paper, string, and scissors.
• Challenge them to create buildings, roads, parks, and more using only geometric shapes.
• Discuss the importance of geometric shapes in architecture and the environment.

String art is a fantastic way to introduce students to symmetry, angles, and patterns.

 Using nails, string, and a wooden board or cardboard, students can create stunning geometric designs. This activity allows them to explore the concept of symmetry by forming beautiful patterns with the string. 

The interconnected threads create intricate shapes that showcase the relationships between lines, angles, and curves—essential components of geometry.

How to Do It:

• Set up a wooden board or cardboard and have students hammer nails into the board in the shape of a basic polygon (e.g., a square, triangle, or pentagon).
• Instruct students to wrap string around the nails to create symmetrical patterns.
• Experiment with different types of patterns, from basic lines to more complex radial designs.

Mathematics comes to life when students construct physical 3D shapes! Using simple materials such as paperclips, rubber bands, forks, and spoons, students can build complex geometrical structures while gaining hands-on experience with shapes, edges, faces, and vertices. 

This activity not only promotes an understanding of geometry but also enhances spatial awareness and problem-solving skills.

Build a Cube with Paperclips and Rubber Bands

Materials Needed: 12 rubber bands, 8 paperclips

Steps: Link four paperclips to form a square, then repeat for the second square. Use rubber bands to connect the corners of the squares, creating a 3D cube. Discuss the cube’s properties such as its faces, edges, and vertices.

Create a Triangular Pyramid with Forks and Spoons

Materials Needed: 4 plastic forks, 1 spoon, playdough or Blu-Tack

Steps: Arrange three forks in a triangle, using playdough to hold them in place. Insert the fourth fork vertically in the center of the triangle and balance the spoon across the top. Discuss the strength and stability of the triangular pyramid compared to other shapes.

Tessellations are fascinating arrangements of shapes that fit together without gaps or overlaps. These patterns can be found in art, nature, and architecture. 

Using everyday items like buttons, coins, or even socks, students can create their own tessellating designs. 

This activity helps students explore concepts like symmetry, repetition, and tiling while also being incredibly fun and artistic.

How to Do It:

• Give students a selection of small objects like buttons, coins, or buttons.
• Challenge them to arrange the objects into tessellating patterns on a sheet of paper.
• Encourage students to experiment with different shapes and arrangements to see how they can fit together without gaps.

Take your students outdoors for a Nature’s Number Hunt, where they’ll search for examples of symmetry, spirals, and angles in the natural world. 

From the spirals in pinecones to the symmetry of leaves, nature is full of mathematical patterns. 

This activity helps students connect the world of abstract maths with the world around them, reinforcing the idea that mathematics is everywhere.

How to Do It:

• Head outside and encourage students to look for examples of symmetry, spirals, or angles in natural objects such as leaves, flowers, rocks, and pinecones.
• Have students draw or photograph the patterns they find and discuss the mathematics behind them.
• Relate the findings to famous mathematical sequences like the Fibonacci spiral.

Magic squares are a fun and challenging way to explore number patterns and logic. A magic square is a square grid of numbers where the sums of each row, column, and diagonal are the same. 

To make it even more engaging, use everyday objects like LEGO bricks, dice, or playing cards to create these number puzzles. This activity promotes critical thinking and introduces students to number theory concepts in an interactive way.

How to Do It:

• Create a grid of squares and fill them with numbers so that each row, column, and diagonal adds up to the same total.
• Use dice, LEGO bricks, or playing cards as objects to represent numbers in the magic square.
• Challenge students to solve the puzzle by rearranging the numbers or creating their own magic squares.

Fractals are infinitely repeating patterns that can be found both in nature and in mathematical equations. 

In this activity, students will create their own fractals using simple materials such as paper, scissors, and markers. This hands-on activity helps students understand the concept of recursion and how fractals repeat at different scales.

How to Do It:

• Have students create a simple fractal design, such as a triangle or square pattern that repeats itself.
• Use scissors and markers to draw smaller versions of the shape inside itself, creating a repeating pattern.
• Discuss how fractals appear in nature, like the branching of trees or the structure of snowflakes.

Spirals are one of the most iconic mathematical shapes. From the spiral shells of snails to the curving paths of galaxies, spirals are everywhere! 

Using simple materials like string or paper, students can create their own spiral patterns and explore the geometry behind them. 

This activity is perfect for understanding curves, angles, and the concept of growth in mathematics.

How to Do It:

• Provide students with string or paper to create spiral patterns.
• Have them draw or cut out spiral shapes, and discuss the types of spirals they see in nature (e.g., Fibonacci spirals).
• Explore how the spiral expands and how the angles and distances between each loop change.

International Maths Day is a perfect opportunity to show students that maths isn’t just about equations and numbers—it’s about creativity, problem-solving, and exploring the world in new ways.

By incorporating everyday materials and objects into hands-on activities, students can develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts while also tapping into their artistic potential.

Whether building geometric shapes, discovering fractals in nature, or solving puzzles with everyday items, there are countless ways to celebrate maths in a fun and engaging way.

So grab your scissors, string, and imagination, and let’s make this International Maths Day a truly creative and inspiring experience for all!

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