Make your Toddler a Math Genius
Three-year-old Nicole Smith knows how to put numbers in order and she knows how to stack blocks from largest to smallest.
“The biggest goes last and the smallest goes on the top,” she says.
What Nicole doesn’t realize is that she is learning basic algebraic concepts. And, according to research from John’s Hopkins, these skills will help her in math for the rest of her years in school.
“But we’re not talking about teaching algebra. We’re talking about teaching the kind of thinking that helps children think in algebra - and think in other higher mathematics,” explains child math expert Dr. Lynn Hart.
Experts say whether innately good at math or not, you can improve the math skills of a 3 or 4-year-old by playing games at home, like counting, sorting, and looking for patterns.
“Asking them to sort the silverware - ‘can we get all the forks and knifes and spoons together?’ - what a wonderful sorting activity. And it’s things that parents can do with their kids that are just normal household activities, but then talking about it,” says Dr. Hart.
Dr. Hart also feels one of the easiest exercises you can do at home with children is sound patterns. An example of this might be to do a “clap clap snap, clap clap snap” game. Ask the child to repeat the pattern that you make and then later ask the child to add on to that pattern.
Experts say this early algebraic thinking will help students later in life … in school and at work.
Fourteen-year-old Jen agrees, “‘Cause everything that you do leads to math… and so like, I like to use math in a lot of different ways.”
Tips for Parents
Excellence in mathematics education requires high expectations and strong support for all students. Regardless of their personal characteristics, background, or physical challenges, all students must have opportunities to study - and support to learn - mathematics. This does not mean that every student should be treated the same. But all students need access to a coherent, challenging mathematics curriculum that is taught by competent and well-supported mathematics teachers.
Too many students - especially students who are poor, not native speakers of English, disabled, female, or members of minority groups - are victims of low expectations in mathematics. For example, “tacking” (grouping students by ability) has consistently consigned disadvantaged groups of students to mathematics classes that concentrate on redemption or do not offer significant mathematical substances. The Equity Principle demands that high expectations for mathematics learning be communicated in word and deeds to all students.
Children learn by exploring their world. Everyday activities are natural vehicles for developing mathematical thinking. When a parent places crackers in a toddler’s hands and says, “Here are two crackers - one, two,” or when a three-year-old chooses how she wants her sandwich cut - into pieces shaped like triangles, rectangles, or small squares - mathematical thinking is occurring. As a child arranges stuffed animals by size, an adult might ask, “Which animal is the smallest?” Through careful observation, conversations, and guidance, adults can help children make connections between the mathematics in familiar situations. Because young children develop a disposition for mathematics from their early experiences, opportunities for learning should be positive and supportive.
Source: Winknews.com, Florida
http://www.winknews.com/features/education/29946519.html
