Math At Home

6 Suggestions For Supporting Math Learning At Home

1.) Practice basic concepts using concrete objects.

Explore number concepts by adding or subtracting objects in a room (for example, add the number of legs on some chairs, subtract crayons from a box or the number of grapes eaten). Move on from concrete materials to pictoral representations to numbers (abstract representations).

2.) Provide specialized material.

Use graph paper or lined paper turned sideways to help keep numbers in columns. Use highlighters to highlight answers, and keywords or numbers in story problems. Use counters, beans, or buttons to manipulate.

3.) Self talk, think aloud!

Children should be encouraged to discuss the steps they are doing. They will recognize their errors easier as they are talking aloud.

4.) Self correct.

Provide an example or a model that the children can compare the steps of their work to.

5.) Make connections to familiar situations.

Have child help measure out recipes, estimating what is heavier, taller, or shorter. Point out how much math is used in everyday life, such as shopping or bus schedules.

6. Play games.

To enhance active working memory, play mental math games. Many board games, dominoes, dice games, and card games require mental math. The internet is full of free math activities and games to play and practice.