Teaching Math to kindergarten age kids

silverharp

ok, so my 5 year old who started school this year will not be doing any formal math this year and possibly next year. By now he knows his numbers, can add , subtract and seems to be able to do mental arithmetic with 2 and 3 digit numbers. He seems to pick the stuff up easily. The question is should I find regular text books and try to organise it a bit. Or keep it in the realm of play and focus more on games. He likes playing chess and board games like Risk, card games etc. What is anyones experience?

Ickle Magoo

My wee fella (4) loves his numbers too - we just keep it fun and use everyday situations to give him the opportunity to do maths. We figure he's got long enough in structured learning & there is nothing in the maths books he can't get from everyday interactions, ie paying for stuff, telling the time, counting out items at the shops, picking the lotto numbers, and so on. He's good with numbers now & he'll be good with numbers in a couple of years, it's not something we really need to concentrate on at the mo. At this age I'd rather my wee man was using his imagination in play & learning social skills than developing exceptional arithmetic skills, even though that's what he'd rather be doing most of the time!

metrovelvet

I remember learning a lot with coins before starting school. Ten dimes make up a dollar, so do four quarters, nickels, etc. A dime is ten cents. It taught me the reprensentational value of numbers, addition, subtraction, and in indirect introduction to fractions and units. I know its a bit harder with the euro coins because they dont have names, but nonetheless it might add something.

byhookorbycrook

I'd steer away from text books and get him doing things like games, sudoko maybe too. Is it possible that he could be exceptionally able?Check out the forum on www.giftedkids.ie

nesf

Three year old loves counting and numbers. Has been this way since he was two and first started figuring them out.

Honestly, the maths pace in primary school is dog slow if your kid is anyway bright. I wouldn't worry about teaching maths just try out a few concepts with him that are cool to think about but not really that complex like negative numbers, squares, roots and such (you can go up to powers of 3 in both directions easily using cubes of well, cubes to illustrate your point, beyond that not so easy to visualise as easily). But only do this if the kid finds it fun and interesting!

My basic parenting philosophy with young kids: with "academic" stuff feed them what they want. If they want numbers and want more complicated ones give it to them, if they want science or biology give it to them. Before I went to primary school my mom got this modest collection of science books for me and my siblings (aimed at older kids, we were supposed to grow into them). I read all of them. Day and night I'd happily spend my time leafing through them with no urging. Enough that I corrected my First Class teacher when she said the sun was a big ball of fire in the sky (But Miss it's a ball of very compressed gases!). Thing was, it was fun for me. It never felt like work and that was the important part.

They'll have enough of learning stuff they find only vaguely interesting or downright boring when they're older! Spare them that while you can!

metrovelvet

^ My mom did the same with the science books and even did experiments at home.

The downside to all this is that when you start school you are boooooooored out of your mind.

silverharp

cheers, I've tried to keep it with, do it if its fun. Its amazing the curiosity and the wanting to know. I'd class him as bright with very good recall and he seems to absorb the math ideas easier then reading so that is what I have tended to focus on. Its too early to know if he would be bored in school but I doubt it would be a problem. He will be plagued with after school activities in the years ahead anyway so that should keep him occupied.
Nesf, the science type books sound like a good idea!

byhookorbycrook

pm'd you