Maths

Things you can be doing to help develop your child's mathematical knowledge and processing:

Rote counting:  first to 10, then 20, 50, 100, 1000

Numeral indentification:  to 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000.  Make some flash cards.  Check numbers on letterboxes as you walk past.  Look at road signs, number plates, prices......

Ordering of numbers:  using the flash cards get your child to put them in order.  Who can do it the fastest?

What comes before/after......:  Start counting from different numbers (eg 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 24, 25, 26 etc).   Play games about what number is before or after the stated number.  Start with the ones to 10, then 20, 50 etc

Count backwards 'like a rocket', from 5, 10, 20. 

Skip counting:  in 2's, 5's, 10's, 100's.  Try doing it backwards.

Addition to 5 and then with 5:  If I had 2 apples and you gave me 2 more apples how many would I have?   If you had 5 toy cars and I gave you 3 more how many would you have?  Let them start with real apples or cars.  Once they get proficient see if they can do it by visualising - until it become instant.  This is what we are aiming for.

Board games/Card games:  These are a wonderful way to introduce numbers, use 1 to 1 matching as you move the counters on, or practice addition if you use 2 dice.  It helps makes numbers (maths) fun and engaging.

Finger games:  Get children to 'show you ......'   You can expand this by saying "5 on this hand and 2 on the other hand is 7.  5+2 =7".  Have races to see who can 'make' 6 first.  With two people 'playing', each putting out one hand with some fingers 'out' you can make addition equations.  Who can solve the equation first?  eg 3 on my hand, 4 on your child's = 7.  As the child becomes more proficient, use two hands each eg 7 plus 9.  For older children this can also be subtraction or multiplication..... no cost involved, able to be done anywhere, with anyone, and lots of fun.

Shapes:  circle, rectangle (oblong), triangle, square.  Look for these in the house, outside, in the car, at the shops.

Colours:  Children need to be familiar with the 10 colours.... red, white, pink, blue, orange, brown, black, purple, yellow, green.  Talk about them in your day to day activities - get your blue pants, there is a red car, look at the orange carrots, pass me the green peg.....

Counting:  Let your child put the potatoes into the pot and count them as they do it.  This 1-1 matching is the forerunner to them to doing it without touching the item.  Get them to set the table and count the knives, forks, plates etc.  Count the number of people ahead of you in the line at the supermarket, the number of cars you pass on the way to school.

Incorporate 'maths talk' into your daily conversations. Oral langauge is the key to helping your child learn about themselves and their world.  It forms the basis of all that we do at school, in all curriculum areas.