How to help your preschooler with Math-Time to reflect and evaluate

We are now a third of the way through this series. This is a good time to reflect and assess your progress in helping your preschooler develop math skills. What strategies worked as you expected? Have you encountered any problems? Do you still have a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve and why?

In the introductory article in this series, we discuss research that found that the critical years for learning logic and establishing a strong mathematical foundation are ages 1-4. Similarly, from ongoing studies, there are results showing that a child’s math skills entering kindergarten are a better predictor of future academic success than are reading skills, social skills, or the ability to concentrate. .

Read that again! A child’s math skills kindergarten entrance they are a better predictor of future academic success than even reading skills. This result is HUGE! I hope this fact brings to light how important your efforts are to your child’s future.

At this point, you might be thinking that you should transfer the responsibility for math learning to an organized preschool, but I strongly caution against this idea. Preschool, whether you start at age 3 or 4, can be beneficial, especially for social skills, and may become appropriate for your child. However, you miss those critical early years in establishing a good mathematical foundation. Furthermore, as this awareness of the importance of preschool mathematics education becomes more widely known, more programs are being designed that rely heavily on “seat work.” Preschool-age children lack the motor skills and attention span to succeed in an all-seat work environment. Unfortunately, in many of these programs, our very young children are losing their enthusiasm for learning. It is imperative that this NOT happen to your child!

Now might be a good time to reread the second article in this series: 7 Things You Should Always Do. Realize that these procedures and attitudes are important for all learning to occur. In fact, you’ve probably used most, if not all, of these while working on your child’s language skills. Keep in mind, too, that most early math skills can be managed alongside early language skills. Learning to count–1, 2, 3, 4, 5,… –is the same skill as learning to say the alphabet–a, b, c, d, e,… Learning to write numbers can accompany learning to write the letters of the alphabet. Your child’s expanding vocabulary can and should include math vocabulary as well.

So far in this series, we’ve discussed how to help your child master counting, number recognition, use of number lines, focus on “if-then” thinking, addition, subtraction, number families , odd and even numbers, and a quick look at some simple ones. number patterns. Hopefully, she is taking advantage of “teachable moments” instead of trying to schedule teach-in sessions. His routines, such as going to the store, preparing meals, playing together, going to the park, reading before bed, etc., provide many opportunities for learning to occur.

Let your child’s interest and enthusiasm guide you. what you do, when you do, and for how long. Returns frequently to previously learned skills to check that their understanding is still present and correct. This will let you know if you need to reteach a skill. Know that having to reteach is a normal part of learning and does NOT indicate failure on your part.

I will be postponing articles that introduce new math skills until after some articles that will address related topics, such as the importance of reading to your child, correcting learned errors, homework analysis, and learning styles. Please continue to work with your son as she has. been, always stay positive, keep things fun, reinforce success, and pay close attention to your child’s body language and mood.

Points to remember with preschoolers:

1. Children learn at their own pace. They will learn some skills quickly, while other skills will need repeated practice.

2. Children need to be actively involved in their learning. They should DO things instead of looking at you and listening to you.

3. Repetition is necessary for learning to occur. However, make sure that what is repeated is Right. Practice only makes it permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

Keep up the good work with your preschooler! Never lose sight of how important it is to future success.