Math Right from the Start

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Math Right from the Start
Helping your child achieve in Mathematics
Pasquale Cocucci, Clarendon School
Principal Susan Smahl, Director of Special
Services

• Presented by
• Christine DePinto
• Lisa Jaramillo
• Sheila Rivera
• Lora Wegner

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The goal of this workshop is to give you a better
understanding of the importance of Early
Childhood Math skills.

• We want you to be able to assist your child in
  developing
• An enjoyment of Math
• Confidence in his/her Math skills
• Problem solving skills
• Skills to be successful
• in school and life

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• A mathematician, like a poet, is a maker of
  patterns
• Godfrey Harold Hardy
• (English mathematician)

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NUMBERS

• Count EVERYTHING!
• Count toys as you put them away
• Count clothing as you take them out of the dryer
  
• Count back and forward as you move from place
• to place
• Count and as you walk up and down steps.

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• Discover many ways in which numbers are used in
  and outside of the home.
• Go on a number hunt.
• Point out numbers on microwave, calculator,
  television, telephone
• Let them dial the phone for you when you place
  calls to family, friends, or for pizza!

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• Sing counting songs and read counting books.
• They capture imagination and interest.
• They can also be found in many different
  languages
• Make up games
• Let them roll dice and count all the numbers
• Play with game spinners and make up rules for
  each number
• Allow them to play with old calculators and cell
  phones
• to increase number and operation awareness

Dont be afraid of numbers Have fun!
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Fun Books to Introduce and Explore Counting
More, Fewer, Less by Tana Hoban Feast for 10 by
Cathryn Falwell Counting With Apollo by
Caroline Gregoire Five Little Monkeys by Eileen
Christelow One So Many by Marthe Jocelyn
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Learning is something students do, NOT something
done to students. -Alfie Kohn (author
and speaker on Education)
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GEOMETRY (shapes and space)

• Identify shapes, sizes, positions, directions,
  and movement
• Pass the small sugar cube
• Hand me the large rectangular cereal box
• Go on a shape hunt

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• Build structures using blocks or old boxes
• How many more do we need to add to make this
• taller than you?
• Talk about how the pieces stack,
• roll, and slide
• Use directional words to find toys
• Under, Over, Up, Down
• Play I Spy

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Fun Books to Introduce and Explore Geometry
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban My Very
First Book of Shapes by Eric Carle Bear in a
Square by Stella Blackstone Apollo by Caroline
Gregoire Elephants Aloft by Kathi Appelt
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Young children are born investigators. It is
our job to strengthen that disposition.
-Lilian G. Katz, Ph.D. (Professor, University of
Illinois)
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MEASUREMENT

• Measure items around the home
• Use non-standard measurements like your feet
• or boxes
• Compare that item to the height of the child
• Estimate together
• Guess together how long it will
• take to drive home
• Guess how many steps to your
• front door

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• Compare and organize household items
• Sort items to be put away
• Have your child line up cans
• from tallest to shortest
• Include your child in activities involving
  measurement
• Cook recipes together using measuring
• cups and spoons
• Talk about weight and how
• scales work at the doctors office
• Let them help you make,
• give, and count change

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• Talk about time
• Discuss how many minutes you will be in a store
• Discuss what number the hand of the clock will
  be on
• when you are done with an activity
• Talk about and record daily temperature
• Mention the change in temperature and how it
  effects your days activities
• Comment on how many degrees the
• temperature has increased or decreased

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Fun Books to Introduce and Explore
Measurement 10 Minutes to Bedtime by Peggy
Rathmann The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle Tell
Me How Much It Weighs by Shirley Willis Inch by
Inch by Leo Lionni How Big is a Foot? By Rolf
Myller
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The essence of mathematics is not to make simple
things complicated, but to make complicated
things simple. S.Gudder
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PATTERNS AND CHANGE

• Look for patterns in storybooks or songs
• Repeating lines and stanzas
• Reoccurring colors in illustrations
• Create patterns using musical rhythms
• Clap out a song
• Stomp your feet
• Use simple, repetitious movements

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• Hunt for patterns around home and neighborhood
• Find color, shape, size patterns in your
  clothing
• Find leaf patterns
• Explore sidewalk patterns
• Use household items to create and extend patterns
• Line up spoons in a repeating order
• Use different colored napkins and have them
  finish
• the pattern

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Most things around your home can work without
costing too much
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Fun Books to Introduce and Explore Patterns and
Change Dots, Spots, Speckles, and Stripes by
Tana Hoban The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric
Carle The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins When I
Was Little A Four Year Olds Memoir of Her
Youth by Jamie Lee Curtis My Little Sister Ate
One Hare by Bill Grossman
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COLLECTING AND ORGANIZING

• Sorting household items
• Clean up time is easier by letting them sort
  toys
• They can sort laundry by color
• Utensils can be put awaydrawer organizers help!
• Keep change jars and let them put away coins by
• denomination

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• Make graphs and charts
• Record weather changes using pictures
• Record food likes and dislikes
• Predict outcomes
• Is it more likely to rain or snow?
• What games can we play
• outside in January?
• June?

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Fun Books to Introduce and Explore Collecting and
OrganizingIs It Rough? Is It Smooth? Is It
Shiny? By Tana HobanTen Puppies by Lynn
ReiserThe Button Box by Margarette ReidFive
Creatures by Emily Jenkins
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More information is available at WWW.PBS.ORG/PAR
ENTS/EARLYMATH/PRE_KGAMES.HTML WWW.PBS.ORG/PARENT
S/EARLYMATH/PRE_KACTIVITIES.HTML WWW.BRIGHTHUB.CO
M/EDUCATION/EARLY_CHILDHOOD/ARTICLES/46729.ASPX W
WW.LEARNINGPLANET.COM/STU/KIDSO.ASP