Young Children + Everyday Play = Early Math Literacy
Whether you realize it or not, your children have been learning math concepts and skills since birth. For instance, have you ever noticed that your toddler is a natural sorter, organizing blocks by color or size? Or, maybe during a meal they let you know that they are “full” and no longer hungry? These are examples of mathematical thinking and language that lay the groundwork for future math learning.
Many education experts say that math skills are a better predictor of academic success than early reading skills. However, most parents assume that teaching their child to count is the first step in learning math when in reality being able to count from 1 to 10 is more about memorization and learning number words than actually understanding number meaning. Young children possess an innate ability to understand math, and with your help and support, will hone these skills and acquire new mathematical knowledge through everyday life.
Try some of these tips to enhance and support your child’s math learnings:
Have fun with shapes by drawing or cutting out different shapes – such as squares, diamonds, or triangles – and help your child count the sides. You can also play with shape-sorters, counting the sides and naming the shapes and colors.
Let your child cook with you. Children love to help stir, chop and pour ingredients. These activities teach your children to count, measure, and estimate.
On walks outside, try naming objects you see or pass as well as discussing their size and shape: are they big or small? Round or square? Finding leaves, rocks, or acorns on your walk means you can gather them to take home with you and later sort by color, size, or group as well as use them for counting.
Ask your child to help with dinner chores such as laying out napkins for dinner or placing utensils at each seat. When doing so, emphasize the number concept such as “one for you, one for me, one sister” and so on.
Ask your child to help you sort laundry – shirts in one pile, socks in another. Then ask them to estimate which pile is the biggest. Count the items in each pile. Ask that they hand you certain quantities for folding: “please give me two socks; can you hand me three shirts?”
Let them help you prepare their snack by giving them specific numbers of each item to put on their plate. For example, have them count out 15 goldfish crackers, 10 raisins and one cheese stick for their plate.
Music and rhythm is amazing for introducing math concepts. Children learn patterns through drumming, tapping or clapping to the beat of the song.
Lots of books are great for helping with mathematical thinking. Look for ones that reinforce patterns, rhyme or have numbers in them.
More Resources:
