In many preschools, math is an everyday experience that young children are going to face. Although not always the case, math is a subject than many kids struggle with. But as a parent, you can support your children's math learning through play and get them comfortable with math concepts from a younger age. When kids can sense learning as fun, they would enjoy learning in preschool too, so giving them a good start is all that counts. This way they are more likely to develop a love for it, later in life.
The great thing about math is that is part of many aspects of our lives. Therefore you can talk to your kids about math in ways that are both fun and natural. Even before they start school, most kids can understand basic math concepts such as addition and subtraction. For instance, you can ask your child: If David has three cars and Noah wants one, how many cars David has left if he gives one to Noah?
Other math skills can be practiced through many other daily activities. You can train to count by counting the steps as you go up or down the stairs, the kicks of a soccer ball or the jumping jacks you can do in a minute. Getting your kids to help you with cooking and baking is another way to teach them about math - you can't help but use math while doing so. Even the simplest baking recipes require measuring ingredients which, in turn, get you working with easy fractions. Before you start with the recipe it's a good idea to show your kid the measuring utensils you are going to use for the recipe, like measuring cups and spoons that have a number on them.
Building something together whether it's a tower out of shoe boxes or a real genuine tree house, also requires measuring, counting adding and multiplying, so make sure you include your little preschooler in projects as these. They can all give your child a jumpstart on the formal math lessons that start in school.
Educational math toys can have a great role in developing early math skills. They can help children develop problem-solving skills and grasp the basic concepts of maths from an early age. Kids that interact with toys that teach math can enter school prepared to learn more advanced math concepts. Apart from teaching math, these toys can also reinforce other important skills – be it on a physical, emotional or intellectual level. Given the fact that they're fun to play with makes children's first contact with math a positive one, which could easily help them develop an affection for it later in life.
Building blocks and cubes that have numbers on them are great for practicing numbers and counting. Lego toys can also help with incorporating both numbers and spatial thinking into playtime. Simple numerical tile math toys can engage your kids by teaching basic math skills at home. You can buy one that has a lot of tiles with numbers. The goal of these games is to make simple math equations with the tiles as quickly as possible and connect them in crossword style grids.
The Abacus or also known as counting board or calculating table is also perfect for developing early math skills in preschoolers. Small fingers will surely love to count and slide the many beads placed on the wires. The abacus can boost better and faster calculation skills and teach clearer logical reasoning.
Also, doing puzzles can help them explore about what information matters, how to break the solution down into smaller steps, and how to reason in favor of certain strategies over others- which are all mathematical skills.
Moreover, incorporating learning and keeping kids active through play is a great way to reduce anxiety that many children face before school starts.
For those parents who despair seeing the oceans and land filled with plastic, it might offer some relief to know that they are alternatives to plastic toys – eco-friendly ones. When shopping for educational math toys for children, it's best if you can invest in something that it's good for the environment and that your kids will love and use for many years. Avoid plastic toys whenever possible as these contain many toxins that are released over time. Instead, choose educational toys that are made from natural materials such as unpainted wood. They rarely contain harmful ingredients and are safe for both your kid and the Planet. When you buy puzzles, books and other printed toys make sure that they were printed on recycled and degradable materials using natural inks. Although buying eco-friendly math toys won't necessarily save the Planet, it would at least cut the amount by which your little one adds to the world's landfill.