Math

Early Mathematics and Numeracy

Children engage in mathematics naturally as they play. We will support these authentic contexts for learning mathematics by...

• Connecting mathematics to literacy

• Embedding mathematics learning experiences into our daily routines

• Thinking aloud about mathematical concepts that children experience at centers

• Incorporating materials to support mathematics into the learning environment

• Asking them questions as they engage in play and inquiry

• Offering provocations for mathematical thinking

• Encouraging them to describe their thinking

• Inviting them to engage in problem solving

• Helping them make connections to their prior experiences

• Noticing and naming the mathematical learning that they are experiencing

• Considering your child’s strengths and next steps and providing small group and individual learning experiences to move them forward

Top Tips for Families:

• Build strong, positive attitudes about math. When children feel positively engaged and successful, they are more likely to stick with an activity or a problem to find a solution.

• Begin with activities that meet your child’s level of mathematical understanding. Early success in solving problems will build your child’s confidence. Gradually move to activities that provide more challenge for your child.

• If you and your child are more comfortable in a language other than English, use it. Your child will understand concepts better in the language that he or she knows best.

So Many Things to Count!

When children first begin to count, they learn important mathematical ideas:

• One-to-one correspondence (one number for one object)

• Stable order (we count 1, 2, 3, 4, … not 1, 2, 7, 5, …)

• Cardinality (the last number counted tells how many)

When children are learning to count, they like to touch, point to and move objects as they say the number aloud – so encourage them to!

• Have your child count toys, kitchen utensils, items of clothing as they come out of the dryer, collections (such as stickers, buttons or rocks) and any other items your child shows interest in counting.

• Mix it up! Have your child count a set of objects but start at different places in the set (for example, start counting in the middle of the set rather than at the beginning). This helps to develop the idea that the counting of objects can begin with any object in a set and the total will still be the same.

• Sing counting songs and use counting in meaningful ways in games, such as Hide-and-Seek. Counting games, rhymes and songs exist in every culture . Some counting songs and rhymes help children to count forward and backward as well.

• Have your child skip count (counting by twos, fives or tens) to count larger groups of items quickly. Use such objects as blocks, pasta pieces, toothpicks or buttons.

How Many?

As children count, they learn to connect quantities (such as five buttons) with their number names (such as the word five) and symbols (such as 5).

• Develop your child’s awareness of the symbols used to represent numbers by making it a game. Look for number symbols in your home and neighbourhood: on the television remote, on the microwave, on the telephone keypad, in flyers and media, on signs and on team sweaters.

• Play a number version of I Spy. For example, “I spy something that has the number five on it,” or “I spy something in this room that there are three of.” For more of a challenge, try finding the numbers 0 to 9 in order.

• Ask for your child’s help to count items in your home. “I wonder how many chairs we have around the table? In this room? In the house?” Count windows, light switches, lamps or beds. You might record “how many” by using a combination of numbers and pictures.

Solve Everyday Problems Tip!

Encourage your child to talk about and show a math problem in a way that makes sense to her or him – for example, your child may act it out, use the actual materials, draw it or count on his or her fingers! Involve your child in using numbers to solve problems and make everyday decisions.

You might ask the following:

• “We need six tomatoes to make our sauce for dinner, and we have only two. How many more do we need to buy?”

• “You have two pillows in your room and your sister has two pillows in her room. How many pillowcases do I need to wash?”

• “Two guests are coming to eat dinner with us. How many plates will we need? How many utensils?”

More challenging situations might involve adding or subtracting larger numbers, or situations in which your child has to add or subtract more than once to solve the problem.

These tips were taken from the document Doing Mathematics with Your Child: Kindergarten to Grade 6 Visit that document for more tips, or ask a member of your child's learning team about the best focus for your child!