Math is a skill that is integrated into almost all aspects of our lives. While children receive formal math instruction starting in Kindergarten, even at a very young age, they can begin to learn fundamental math concepts through play and engaging activities. Try some of the ideas below to build your preschooler’s pre-math skills.

Counting and Sorting
Turn an outing at the park into a math-oriented learning experience. Have your child collect a bucket full of various types of pebbles and then lay them out on a flat surface. Ask him to sort the pebbles based on various attributes – color, shape, size, etc. Then have him count the number of pebbles in each group. For a higher level math experience, create a graph on a white board or sheet of construction paper, and write a tally mark for each pebble in the group. Then discuss which group had the most and least number of pebbles and compare the numbers. You can do this same activity with shells at a beach, buttons, or various types of toys.

Have Fun with Shapes
Learning to recognize and identify shapes is an important early math skill. To develop this skill, cut out various shapes using construction paper and discuss their attributes with your child. Ask her to tell you how many sides she sees on a square, triangle, rectangle, and so on. You can even cut out larger colored shapes and play a “jumping” game, where you tell her to jump on the red triangle, for instance, then the purple circle, orange square, etc. When you are driving or walking outside, point out various shapes that you encounter in the “real” world – a triangle shaped road sign, a circular wheel, or a rectangle shaped price tag at the supermarket.

Play with Patterns
Help your child understand patterns using every day household items. Take out dry pieces of pasta, cereal, beads, gummy bears, and the like. Have him first create patterns that you dictate – pasta, gummy bear, pasta, gummy bear, for instance, then perhaps cereal, pasta, gummy bear, cereal, pasta, gummy bear, and so on. Then he can create his own patterns while you supervise, starting with basic patterns and eventually encouraging him to try more complex ones. You can also ask your child to look around for patterns on common items, such as clothing, tablecloths, toys, pillows, and curtains, and even play “I Spy” with various pattern-containing items. When you cook dinner, try presenting the food in a pattern, such as pea, corn, pea, corn, etc., and see if your child notices. Remind him that patterns are everywhere!

Learn Through Blocks
Most kids love playing with blocks. You can integrate pre-math skills by asking your child to build two different towers using blocks, then compare them. As her which tower is taller, which is shorter, and how many blocks were used to create each tower. You can play a matching game with colored blocks by having her match two of the exact same blocks and then having her tell you the shape and color of each block. For an additional sonsory experience, encourage her to experiment with different types of blocks: wood blocks, foam blocks, mirror blocks, magnetic blocks, prism blocks, and so one. These various types of blocks will add to the fun of early learning.

Understand Time
Help your child understand time at a young age. Try using a timer to time short activities – those that take 1-3 minutes or so. For instance, time him brushing his teeth, getting dressed, or building a tower. ‎Discuss which tasks took longer, how much longer one task took than the other, and so on. Also talk to him about what time he does certain activities. For instance, he might wake up at 7:30am, go to school at 8:30am, and eat dinner at 5:00pm. Practicing these time-oriented skills will help your child with time management skills down the road.

Young children love to play. Engage your child in these play-oriented activities and help him develop strong pre-math skills. He will ultimately develop a joy for learning along with the foundations for math success.

The post How Can You Help Your Preschooler Build Their Math Skills? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Math is immersed in our daily lives. When we weigh fruit at a supermarket, receive change at a store, or measure flour for a favorite brownie recipe, we are using math concepts. When children reach grade school they begin to “formally” learn mathematics. Yet even at a very young age, children can develop an understanding of basic math principles in fun and engaging ways.

Try the ideas below with your preschool age child:

1. Sequencing. Sequencing is an understanding that events and objects occur in a specific order – an important precursor to both math and reading. To practice sequencing at home, have your child gather a group of toys and put them in a pile. Then, using sequencing words, ask your child to order them. For instance, you might say, “In one line, place the green truck first and the yellow car second. Place the purple block third. Finally, place the green ball last in the line.” You can also create your own sequencing cards describing events in a story. For example, tell your child a story about a girl who wakes up, brushes her teeth, eats breakfast, and goes to school. Then make 4 picture cards describing these events, mix them up, and have your child put them in order.

2. Grouping and Sorting. Make a trip to the supermarket academically productive by teaching your child grouping and sorting. For example, grab an assortment of red, green, and yellow apples and several plastic produce bags. Ask your child to put all of the green apples in one bag, red apples in another, and so on. You can also select a group of tomatoes or plums and have him put the smaller ones in one bag and the larger ones in another. At home, have him sort crayons in containers based on color, blocks in boxes based on shape, or balls in baskets based on size.

3. Time. The concept of time can be a tricky one to grasp at a young age, but these age-appropriate exercises can help your child develop a basic understanding. Try setting a timer to help your child understand how long certain tasks take to complete. For example, time her as she brushes her teeth, eats breakfast, or gets dressed. Talk about which task took longer, how much longer one task took than the other, and so on. Also discuss with her what time she does certain activities. For instance, she might wake up at 7:00am, go to school at 8:30am, and eat dinner at 6:00pm. Discussing time in this manner with help your child begin to understand the concept.

4. Shapes. ‎Have your child play with different shapes to learn both their names and how they feel. Try cutting out basic shapes using felt (triangle, rectangle, square, diamond, etc.) and put them all in a box. Have her take one shape out of the box and tell you its name. Also ask her to describe how many sides it has and how it feels. This kinesthetic approach will help the names and visual representations stick in your child’s long term memory.

5. Estimation and Prediction. Teach your child estimation using every day items at home. For example, have him create a stack of magazines and a stack of books, and, before doing so, ask him to predict which one he thinks will be taller.‎ You can also draw a large square on a sheet of paper and have him estimate how many Cheerios he can fit in that square, then actually fill the square with Cheerios.  Have him compare the actual number by counting them (another important math skill!) to the estimated number.

Math is an important skill that is weaved into almost all aspects of our lives. Even at a very young age, children can learn fundamental math concepts through play and engaging activities. It’s never too early to start learning the basics!

The post 5 Ways to Build Your Preschooler’s Math Skills appeared first on EBL Coaching.

1. Learn to accurately estimate time

Many students are completely unrealistic when it comes to predicting time. They might think taking a shower takes five minutes, downloading a document takes 60 minutes, and eating dinner takes less than three minutes. ‎Therefore it would be difficult for them to map out their schedule. By learning to accurately estimate time, students can build more effective time management skills. When your child sits down to start his homework, have him write the ET, or estimated time he thinks it will take to complete each assignment. Then, as he does the assignments, he should use a clock or timer to determine how long the task actually takes. He should write the AT, or actual time, in his planner next to the ET. When students begin using this strategy, there is usually a large discrepancy between the estimated and actual time for each task, but the more they practice this strategy, the more realistic they will become with their time and the more effectively they will be able to use their time.

2. Learn to prioritize

Once students open their planner and predict the ET for each assignment, they should decide on the order in which they would like to complete each assignment and write the numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. next to each one. In general, it is better to prioritize the longer, more arduous tasks first when your child has more energy‎ and do the easier, shorter ones later. Learning to prioritize assignments will help students feel more in control of their work and less overwhelmed by what may seem like an insurmountable quantity of work.

3. Write everything down

In our tech-savvy world, many students come to rely on computers and tablets for finding out which assignments are due and when. Many schools use online portals for this purpose. Yet it is still helpful for students to maintain a planner to help them see the big picture of all upcoming assignments and exams. They can also include after school activities, sports games, parties, and anything else on their social agenda. By seeing the whole picture of everything that is upcoming – both academic and social – students can better estimate how much time they have available to complete their work.

4. Create a routine

Some students work better right when they come home from school. Others prefer a bit of down time before getting to work, and many work best in the evening. Encourage your child to identify the time of day when he is most alert and focused, and stick with that time on a regular basis.  Also identify a workspace – whether it’s a table in the dining room or a desk in the bedroom, and stock this space with the appropriate utensils for completing work.

5. Break down long-term projects

Have your child divide projects and long-term assignments into manageable steps and enter these steps into his planner. If his teacher does not provide the steps and corresponding due dates, help him break down these tasks into smaller pieces. For example, for a research paper, he might need to choose a topic, create an outline, research the information, put together note cards, and then write the first draft.  He should write each of these steps in his planner so that he feels in control and on top of each step of the process.

As students progress through school, it is easy for them to feel frustrated and overwhelmed.  Many don’t know where to begin and others give up mid-way through the pess. By teaching your child these time management strategies, he can learn to better manage his workload and achieve overall academic success.

Written By Dr. Emily Levy from EBL Coaching

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