Teaching maths to kids?

silverharp

I have a 6 year old who is quite bright, he is good at mental aritmethic etc. and was wondering what would be a good approach to foster a liking for the subject. I want to avoid the "rote" side of things as I'm sure he'll get enough of that starting next year.
Are there general do's and donts? and are there good resources on line or otherwise that can give me ideas.

On a more general note, is the primary syllibus a good one or is it flawed in any way?

sponsoredwalk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4vqr3_ROIk

Watch this, get Arthur Benjamin's book, read it and teach your son how
to do all of the cool & crazy calculations in his head while explaining why
they work & you'll have someone with an understanding of basic math
that is more than likely better than his primary school teacher
This is mental arithmetic on steriods and really it isn't difficult to
comprehend.

geurrp the yard

silverharp wrote: »

I have a 6 year old who is quite bright, he is good at mental aritmethic etc. and was wondering what would be a good approach to foster a liking for the subject. I want to avoid the "rote" side of things as I'm sure he'll get enough of that starting next year.
Are there general do's and donts? and are there good resources on line or otherwise that can give me ideas.

On a more general note, is the primary syllibus a good one or is it flawed in any way?

This may be a little advanced for a 6 year old but I thought it was a good website.http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space/angles/play.shtml

Basically your kid can play games but in the same way learning about angles and shapes. I feel this is more appealling than rote learning 6 times tables. After all maths isnt just about having good arithmetic.

Greenmachine

Pretty cool video. Was always good at mental arithmetic myself. Goy three of the 2 digit numbers squared correct. All the other maths stuff was really impressive. The day of the year thing I have seen before and I believe there is a straighforward formula for years in the 20th century anyway.

Fremen

Try to get him to see that doing maths is about solving problems (and having fun solving problems) rather than learning things by rote. Stay on the lookout for good brain-teasers get him to think logically, and to see that solving problems can be like a game. For example:

A farmer has to take a fox, a chicken and a bag of corn across a river. He can only transport one item at a time. Neither fox and the chicken, nor the chicken and the grain can be left alone. How does the farmer get all three across?

You stand at a fork in the road. Next to each of the two forks, there stands a guard. You know the following things: 1. One path leads to Paradise, the other to Death. From where you stand, you cannot distinguish between the two paths. Worse, once you start down a path, you cannot turn back. 2. One of the two guards always tells the truth. The other guard always lies. Unfortunately, it is impossible for you to distinguish between the two guards.
You have permission to ask one guard one question to ascertain which path leads to Paradise. Remember that you do not know which guard you're asking -- the truth-teller or the liar -- and that this single question determines whether you live or die. The question is: What one question asked of one guard guarantees that you are led onto the path to Paradise, regardless of which guard you happen to ask?

The primary syllabus is fine, though personally I think they teach multiplication in a way which does not facilitate mental arithmetic. I'd be wary about pushing him too hard early on - it may turn out to be counterproductive.

silverharp

thanks for the replies, some good pointers

geurrp the yard wrote: »

This may be a little advanced for a 6 year old but I thought it was a good website.http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space/angles/play.shtml

Basically your kid can play games but in the same way learning about angles and shapes. I feel this is more appealling than rote learning 6 times tables. After all maths isnt just about having good arithmetic.

he loved this! thanks , I'll try to find some more sites like this