7 Ways to Move Your Child With Math

Math is Fun. Math is exciting. Math is something you really will use the

rest of your life. You will use math as a landscaper, a banker, a chef,

a nurse, a pharmacist, etc. So start off as soon as possible making

your children think of themselves as mathematicians who can figure out

problems using thinking, reasoning and problem solving strategies.

The following activities can help parents of young children be more intentional

in developing math concepts in their family.

1. Post a 100's chart and allow children to count from it daily. Practice

counting by two's as far as possible. Move one number higher when

your child can easily perform this task. This should be a fun

activity. Try chanting together to a beat, try racing, etc.

2. Start young children off counting everything. Find the number on

their number chart that matches what they counted to.

3. Count the items from your grocery bag. Look at the number chart and

find the corresponding number.

4. Teach your child how to create and solve math problems. For example,

if I have 4 juices poured and we are having 10 guest for lunch, how many

more glasses of juice will we need to pour so that everyone will have a drink?

5. Children can learn to multiply by 2's counting socks or anything else you

can put in pairs.

6. Take a grocery store advertisement. Have your child make a grocery

list from the advertisement for 1 days dinner. Have him add the items

to determine the cost. To simplify this activity cut the amount and allow

only 3 items. In order to make the activity more challenging, Give your

child a budget and if she goes over, have her explain what she will have to

remove from the list or if she is under, what she will add.

7. Look at your store advertisement and the items selected for dinner again.

What is the ratio of sweets to vegetables. For younger children compare

the cost of fruit and vegetables, which is more or less?

By the time this week is up you and your children will be well on the way

to being a family of budding math guru's. So everybody get ready to move

with math.