Any tips for teaching math to an almost kindergartener?

Leslie - posted on 07/22/2010

Don't worry : ) I sent my SD off to Kindergarten and couldn't believe the stuff she would come home with. Spanish words, facts about countries, even multiplication! You never know how comfortable they'll be or how fast they pick things up until their in that situation. My SD doesn't have low self asteem (she's actually quite fond of herself which is almost harder to deal with)but she hates to be wrong so when she doesn't understand something, she'll check out and start being a distraction. That is what I deal with and its super frustrating. With a good teacher your SD will gain confidence little by little and you'll see you had nothing to worry about. Good luck!

Betty - posted on 07/13/2010

That's a great idea to have her counting and naming numbers while we're out places. I'll try that as often as I can. It's a challenge because she kinda goes crazy when we go out with her and try to pay attention to her at the same time(if we ignore her she's fine). It's not too bad, she just gets super exited, speaks jibberish, and acts like a baby. I just hope it's a phase and there isn't anything wrong with her.

Holly - posted on 07/12/2010

I was just going to say something very similar to what Penny said! :) It sounds like you guys have been doing wonderful things with her and I think it's great!

Like Penny said, having her recognise the numbers in things in her every day life will really help her learn faster. For my daughter, we make it into a game. We would play one in the car where we would all look for numbers 1-100. The first one to get to 100 was the winner and would get a special treat (usually a marshmallow). It was really fun and even to this day (she's almost 8) math is her favorite subject :)

Good luck and I hope your SD has a wonderful time in Kindergarten! :)

Penny - posted on 07/12/2010

I am a first grade teacher and kids come in with so many various skill levels. As a teacher I'm telling you not to worry because if that is all she's struggling with, she'll catch on before you know it. But as a parent I know how you feel. I would suggest to continue working with her on number recognition but also teaching her number correspondence. For example if you are in the grocery store ask her to help you count the bananas, tomatoes, etc. If you are getting gas ask her to tell you the numbers she sees or ask her how many pumps do you see? Tell me something else that you have that equals ten, etc. Play "I Spy" with number things. Any time you see numbers have her help you. Hope this helps.