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Parents often get a jump on formal instruction when it comes to language and literacy by reading to their toddlers and teaching the alphabet before their kids ever set foot in a classroom. But getting a head start on mathematics is often restricted to teaching children to count, says Lynn McGarvey, a professor of elementary education at the University of Alberta whose research looks at teaching and learning math in early childhood.
McGarvey says her research focus on instilling mathematical concepts in young learners aims to promote numeracy the way literacy has been emphasized as a foundational educational experience.
"When educators and parents create opportunities for mathematical engagement in day-to-day activities, then children will experience mathematics not just as a skill or a tool, but a way of thinking and being in the world," she says.
McGarvey says there are a few things math-minded parents and early childhood educators can think about when interacting with young learners.
I've tried lots of things to get my kids interested in math. So far, the most effective has been demonstrating the power of purposeful laziness. What are your experiences?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by aclarke on Tuesday March 22 2016, @01:56PM
I have young kids in early grade school. I'm not saying they're math geniuses, but they both love math. Counting, adding, subtracting, and now multiplying numbers of various sizes is one of the most common dinnertime conversations. They ask us to come up with numbers for them to add, or practice counting, etc. Sometimes it goes on so long we have to tell them to stop doing subtraction and spend some time subtracting food from their plates and adding it to their mouths.
I think I started with my oldest daughter too early for her to really grasp the concepts, but in kindergarten when she was trying to count and do simple addition, I created a 10x10 grid of numbers from 1-100. We do a lot of work on pattern recognition, and like the summary says, "demonstrating the power of useful laziness". I try to find math in the world around us and show how it really is the language of the universe. I show my kids tricks on how to make what they're doing easier. I don't think it's turning them into math geniuses (yet?) but it seems to at least be helping them become very interested in maths.