Out of all subjects, math causes the most difficulties as kids try to understand tough concepts. As the concepts build on each other through the grade levels, your kids can quickly get lost and lose their confidence. You can help prevent this scenario by working on math with your kids — early and often. Starting in the preschool years, you can play games, sing songs and engage in many other fun math activities to build up their enthusiasm for this subject. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
Count Absolutely Everything
Before kids can learn how to add and subtract, they must learn how to count their way down the number line. So, it is important to instill this skill as frequently as you can by counting everything you come across during the day.
You can count the blueberries you add to your lunch plates, for example, or the crayons you have on hand for your art project. As birds land in your yard, you can count them, too. As your child feels more comfortable counting, count by twos, threes and on to improve their kindergarten math readiness.
Get Out the Recipe Books
You can ensure your kids are familiar with basic fractions before going into kindergarten by getting out the recipe books. As you work on baking your favorite treats, your kids will have ample opportunities to measure and count. This will help them get familiar with the different types of numbers they will see in the math problems to come.
You can increase the difficulty of your cooking activities by doubling the recipe — or splitting them in half. As your kids measure and pour the ingredients, add up the totals and discuss how they were found. Your kids’ comfort levels will quickly soar as they learn to do basic math with your help.
Sing Counting Rhymes Wherever You Go
You can keep math at the forefront of your kids’ minds by singing counting rhymes wherever you go. Most of the rhymes reinforce the rules of counting while entertaining kids on the fly. With each song, your kids will learn how to keep track of their place as they move up and down the number line.
Beyond counting, these rhymes cover an awesome array of math topics, including addition, multiplication and logic. They share useful tips that get stuck in the mind, thanks to their catchy tunes. As a result, many kids callback to the counting rhymes to have an easier time working through math problems in kindergarten.
Play Fun Math Games
Whether you want to go online or bring out the boardgames, there are plenty of fun math games to play with your kids. The online math games present fun problems kids can solve on their own or with your help. With each right or wrong answer, they receive an interesting animation and helpful information.
Boardgames leave all the education and celebration to you, but that is just a part of the fun. As you play popular boardgames, your child will have tons of math opportunities, including counting the money and adding up the points. As a result, you do not even need to select math-centric games to help your kids practice this important subject.
As you start to integrate math into your kids’ everyday activities, you will start to see their confidence blossom. Even as they grapple with tough concepts, their past positive experiences with math will help them persevere and gain new understanding. If you would like help preparing your kids for kindergarten math, reach out to the team at Genie Academy by calling 609-862-8486.
