Making Math "Count" in the New Year!
“Math is a
language of logic. It is a disciplined,
organized way of thinking. There is a
right answer; there are rules that must be followed. More than any other subject, math is rigor
distilled. Mastering the language of
logic help to embed higher-order habits in kids’ minds: the ability to reason,
for example, to detect patterns and to make informed guesses. Those kinds of skills had rising value in a
world in which information was cheap and messy.” Esther Cepeda, Daliy News, 2/23/14.
This excerpt
is from an article “Why math? Why not?” from the Daily News and it makes a very
important point: math teaches your child much more than just how to add and
subtract, math teaches your child how to be a logical adult with strong
reasoning skills. Math is an intricate
part of our everyday life. Think about
your daily routine and how many times you have had to problem solve a difficult
situation or make reasonable deductions.
As parents/guardians
we can make a big impact in our children’s mathematical development by
incorporating small habits into our routines. Below are three “must do’s” for our elementary aged children:
1. Count with your child – this simple activity develops strong
number sense and gives your child a significant advantage over peers who come
to school not being able to count.
Ø Pre K and K aged students – count to
100 by 1’s forward and backwards. Count
to 100 by tens (10, 20, 30 …).
Ø Grades 1 and 2 – count to 1,000 and
above. Count by 5’s (0, 5, 10, 15…);
10’s; 100’s (100, 200, 300 …). Count
within 100’s by 10’s forward and backwards (210, 200, 190, 180…)
Ø Grades 3 and 4 – count with high
numbers (1million, 2 million, 3 million… 100,000, 200,000, 300,000). Count fractions (1 ½; 2; 2 ½; 3; 3 ½; 4…. OR
¼; 2/3; ¾; 1; 1 ¼; 1 2/4; 1 ¾; 2…)
2.
Play “I am thinking of a number” game - this type of activity develops your child’s understanding
how our number system is ordered.
For example:
Ø Pre K and K aged students – “I am
thinking of a number that comes before 5”; “I am thinking of a number that
comes after 10”; “I am thinking of a number that comes in between 14 and 16”.
Ø Grades 1 and 2 – “I am thinking of a
number that comes before 105 but after 102”; “I am thinking of a number that is
ten less than 50”; “I am thinking of a number that is greater than 150 but less
than 154”.
Ø Grades 3 and 4 – Break the numbers down by place value (see diagram below) “I am thinking of a number that has 2 thousands, 3 hundreds, 2 tens and 4 ones – what is my number?” (2,324). “I am thinking of a number that has 3 ones and 4 tenths” (decimal place value – 3.4)
3. Practicing math
facts - Parents play a
vital role in supporting this at home. Practicing 10 minutes a day will really
improve math fact fluency. Try practicing math facts in the car, when shopping,
while practicing sports (basketball/soccer - around the world with math facts) or
while cooking. There are also many fun math websites, math apps, and math games
that can help your child.
Wishing you
a Happy Math Year!
