Teach Your Child Addition Basics

Addition is a concept taught in the first grade. Starting your child out early on this basic math model will give them a head start with more difficult concepts in math that will be taught later on in their educational experience. You can be the link between the fear of learning math or the success of your children’s performance in school. Yet, keep in mind math is a vast structure and has a number of offsets, therefore some children who master one area of math, may have difficulty with another.

To understand math more comprehensively children have to start with the basic math concepts in the classroom. Each step for math sets children up for the next lesson, they cannot learn subtraction without addition, they can’t learn division without multiplication, etc. Although recognizing numbers comes first, children who can’t recognize numbers as of yet can still learn basic addition with small strategies learned at home. For those who know numbers and can count, addition can still be a concept taught with the basic understanding of the skill at home as well. Here are a few tips to get you started teaching your children addition basics.

Preschool
Parents of preschoolers know how young children’s attention span is when “sitting down” to teach their children something about the world. It’s not easy, therefore parents have to be creative with “how” we teach our children, and that creativity is all around us.
Everyday teaching moments present themselves consistently. At the park, count the ducks swimming; count the children swinging, how many ducks and children are at the park. We have two cups on the table and we need two more cups, how many cups will we have on the table all together. Take every teaching moment that will help your child add in everyday situations, they’ll never even know they’re learning and you’ll have the secret weapon of parenting. Yet, be sure to use easy concepts and small numbers to start your child with adding numbers.

Use other fun stuff to help your children count and add. Take M&M’s for example, if you have four green M&M’s and three red M&M’s how many M&M’s do you have all together? In addition, you can make beaded necklaces together and provide the same type of activity as you did with the M&M’s. There is nothing more fun to children than having fun with their parents while learning a new concept.

Main points to address:

• Use fun stuff to count with.
• Start out with easy addition problems.
• Use everyday activities to teach.

Grades K-3rd
Children who know basic addition skills and are ready to be introduced to larger numbers to add, you can sit down with them and have some fun. Bring out pennies from their piggy bank to count and add, use cotton balls to count, add and then make pictures with and of course you can use the old pencil and paper manipulation (or math worksheets) to show them the concept of remainders for double and triple digit numbers. Be sure when you are using the paper and pencil method you are still having fun.

Practice makes perfect and fun makes for a child eager to gain more knowledge, please use the links below in the resources section of this article to allow your children to have fun with math while practicing the concept of the various levels of math throughout their educational experience.

Main points to address:

• Introduce larger numbers to add.
• Make learning fun.

Resources
Resources that can help you in your venture include:

• Math Worksheet Wizard – http://www.mathworksheetwizard.com/
• Teach R Kids – http://www.teachrkids.com/
• Dare to Compare – http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/eyk/index.asp?flash=true
• Ask Dr. Math – http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/drmath.elem.html
• Brain Pop – http://www.brainpop.com/
• Education Place – http://www.eduplace.com/kids/
• Figure This – http://www.figurethis.org/index.html

Posted in Education.

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