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Enriching Math Skills
You don’t need a degree in math to help
your child learn addition, subtraction, geometry, and fractions.
There are many activities around the home in which your child can
apply what they learn in math class.
Put your preschool child’s counting ability to work.
In preparation for meals, let the child count forks for the table,
dinner napkins, pieces of cake, or other quantities.
Play a lot of numbers games.
Games like bingo, dominoes, card games, etc. They can all familiarize
your child with the world of numbers.
Use flash cards.
If your child is having trouble with math, buy or make flash cards
and use them on a regular basis. Children will enjoy giving answers
they know and will learn more about complex problems through drill.
Give practical knowledge through usage in the home.
Mention the size of containers, such as pints of cream and gallons
of milk. Encourage them to help when you bake, lay carpet, or fertilize
the lawn. Let your child measure the areas of quantities of materials.
Plan a shopping trip.
Before the trip, have your child look through the newspaper to price
the cost of items to be purchased. Encourage them to compare prices
and quantities marked on containers to determine the best buys.
Allow your child to purchase the item and figure out the change
to be received.
Encourage analytical thinking.
Since most of math includes problem solving, encourage your child
to find solutions to various household problems. This will help
him or her become and analytical and logical thinker.
Other ways to help your child apply their growing knowledge
of math to practical situations:
• Let them double check the addition on grocery tapes.
• Let them manage their own allowance.
• Have them calculate age, weight and height dimensions.
• Let them figure out gas purchases and mileage and other
trip expenses.
• Have your child explain the math papers brought home from
school. Take time to help with corrections and understanding mistakes.
Help Your Child To Love Reading
Reading outside of school boosts a child's academic performance
in the classroom. Help your child love reading.
Begin reading aloud to your child at an early age.
Reading together sets a standard that your child will carry with
him or her throughout school. Read often. Not only from children’s
books, but also magazines and newspapers. Reading experts say that
by the time a child reaches kindergarten, he or she should have
had 1,000 books read to them.
Turn off the television and pick up a book.
Children learn by example. When reading is important to you, it
will be important to your child. Setting aside "reading time"
each night is an excellent characteristic for your child to mimic.
Have a reading treasure hunt.
Place the first clue on a table or somewhere your child can easily
find it. Each clue will have a hint as to where the next clue can
be found. At the end of the treasure hunt, give your child a hug
or small prize for being able to complete the hunt.
Make a date.
We have appointments for everything else...why not an appointment
to go to the library or book store? Once there, let your child wander,
explore, and look at things in which s/he is interested.
Have your child read to you.
Let your child exercise his/her newfound reading muscles by reading
aloud to you. Test comprehension by asking questions about the plot
of the book. Make connections with your child by talking about what
certain characters are doing and what your child would do in the
same situation. Even older kids can benefit from reading aloud.
Volunteer to read at your child's school.
In addition to underscoring the importance of reading, your child
will love that you took the time to do something for his or her
classroom.
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