The frequency of number talk in children’s homes has a big impact on how well kids understand basic mathematical concept. Seems like common sense, but do we parents speak math enough at home? This MindShift article points to some recent studies of parents speaking math with their toddlers and how well that prepares them for math in school.
The gist of the article is parents should consider the habit of talking about numbers as much as they talk about letters and words.
So what are some things we parents can do to help our kids be more comfortable with math?
Here are some tips:
Play games and solve puzzles: Uno, puzzles, card games build problem-solving skills, shape recognition and spatial concepts.
Set up a lemonade stand: on these hot summer days, have your kids run a lemonade stand. Have them participate in buying the ingredients, set the prize, and then count their profits. This teaches them about counting, arithmetic, problem solving and simple money concepts.
Count everything: how many flowers in the flower bed? Math items, such as plates, cups and cutlery when you set the table for dinner. This helps them see the real meaning of numbers and the concept of one-to-one correspondence.
Count the motions: when bouncing a ball – count the bounces, when skipping – count the skips, when climbing the stairs – count the steps.
Find shapes around you: look for shapes in your everyday life and talk about them. What shape is a coin? What shape is the Tupperware box? Look for shapes inside of things. Like windows in houses, triangles in the climbing structure at the park.
Collect and classify things: help your child sort their collection of marbles, Lego pieces, stones, shells, and coins by color, shapes, size. You can even have your child classify things as you clean up and put away their books and toys. Make use of spatial terminology: ‘next to’, ‘inside’, ‘under’ – put the stuffies on top of the bed. Put the large stuffed animals behind the little stuffed animals.
