[TerryLee]

I am looking for a way to teach my 4yo numbers and basic math.

She can count to 10 (and to 15 but with some mistakes) already
and can do simple a math (we use fingers and small objects to do adding and subtractions).


So I was looking for a teaching plan how to solidify the progress,
and move further on - as it feel what we are stuck where we are.

My idea is to follow some methodology which will allow my daugther to
*understand* the mechanics behind the math, the concepts of it - that is, my goal is the quality,
not quantity.

I am willing to spend more time, to allow for a proper understanding
(these "aha" moments when all makes sense) instead of making her to memorize rules.

And I would like to do it at home and using the simplest tool available
(e.g. a adding table, etc)

Can you point me to the right direction - where to start?

Thank you very much.

[Ianthe]

I always found using objects was the best way for kids to understand. And talking about things as you go about your everyday tasks.

I am not a huge one for formalised learning for such young kids though.

[melaine]

There's no need to do more than you are doing.

Concentrate on one to one correspondence (http://stayathomeeducator.com/counting-one-to-one-correspondence/) up to ten, then extend to 15 and 20.

Counting, adding and subtracting with concrete materials such as rocks.

Early division and understanding of fractions and sharing can be taught through cooking, dishing out meals, sharing things between people. Discuss "what will we do with tihs leftover lolly?" etc.

Real experiences are much more important than formal maths lessons - even in prep that's how they do a lot of teaching.

[barrington]

I believe they start with sorting and patterning in primary school before touching on addition/subtraction.

[baddmammajamma]

I always found using objects was the best way for kids to understand. And talking about things as you go about your everyday tasks.

I am not a huge one for formalised learning for such young kids though.

I'm with Ianthe on this one. Your daughter is 4.5. Unless she is begging for formal instruction -- because I recognize that there *are* some very young kids who do -- now is the perfect time to just let her learn through every day tasks.

At 4.5, my daughter was already pretty addicted to her computer. She had a lot of fun with ZooWhiz, which is a free program that presents and reinforces basic concepts in a playful way. If your daughter is also a computer kid, you might want to check out:

http://www.zoowhiz.com/

This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 27/11/2012, 11:23 AM

[Sail to the Moon]

What is your daughter interested in?

I would focus on maths in a more informal way and incorporate it with her interests and everyday experiences (eg. cooking, shopping, etc).

Cooking:
- finding, counting & measuring ingredients...if she's interested, look at the recipe together too.

Shopping:
- ask your daughter to help count out how much money you will need when paying for something and get her to pay the cashier.

During play:
- Eg. "you can jump 12 more times on the trampoline, then you need to let X have a turn", then count aloud and see if she joins in.
- Children's boardgames and card games could be another way...eg. counting out cards, counting when moving on a board, etc.
- You could play games like "What's the time Mr Wolf?" and "hide & seek" (where the person finding needs to count before searching).
- Most importantly, make it fun .

[sophiasmum]

I always leave that to school LOL!

Is she attending pre-school, if not sounds like she should.

Is she transitioning to kindergarten, if so you could ask the teacher.

[=R2=]

What is your daughter interested in?

I would focus on maths in a more informal way and incorporate it with her interests and everyday experiences (eg. cooking, shopping, etc).

Cooking:
- finding, counting & measuring ingredients...if she's interested, look at the recipe together too.

Shopping:
- ask your daughter to help count out how much money you will need when paying for something and get her to pay the cashier.

During play:
- Eg. "you can jump 12 more times on the trampoline, then you need to let X have a turn", then count aloud and see if she joins in.
- Children's boardgames and card games could be another way...eg. counting out cards, counting when moving on a board, etc.
- You could play games like "What's the time Mr Wolf?" and "hide & seek" (where the person finding needs to count before searching).
- Most importantly, make it fun .

This.

Keep it real, keep it fun for her. Let your child lead you rather than being the pushy parent.

[Bacongirl]

I would also be careful how much addition , subtraction etc you are teaching before they start formal schooling.

I was surprised that DD and DS have both learned very different ways to do subtraction, yet they both went to the same school.

Learning at school level is always evolving and teaching your child too much before they start school could set them up with some frustration down the track. IE SHe learns to do it one way from you, but the school teaches a different way. While you would hope that your DD's future teachers would be flexible enough to use the techniques that work with the child, sometimes they are inflexible with this.


I would just continue with what you are doing and use situations around you as your teaching tools - rather than anything formal.

[millie_11]

I am not a teacher, but in my view at that age, if your child is keen, the important thing is basic numeracy rather than eg being able to do a particular sum. By that I mean that they understand eg 12 is a ten and 2 'ones', and that they can recognise that the number after 10 is 11 and the number before is 9 etc.
Understanding the importance the number 10 plays then makes (down the track) understanding bigger numbers super easy and the concepts of adding and subtracting easier as they have the fundamentals sorted.
I bought a 'base 10' set which has blocks of 1, 10, and 100 and I will 'play' with these with DS5 - although there is a teachers guide with the set with more formal activities. Bought it online somewhere from an Australian website. Sometimes I'll write a number down eg 25 and ask him to represent that via the blocks, or sometimes in reverse so I'll put 3 'tens' and 4 'ones' down and hopefully he'll tell me the number is 34!
He enjoys doing the little challenges (but he is a bit of a nerdy kid ) and I think it will help him when he starts school as he will understand that numbers are pretty logical really!