early math programs?

Re: early math programs?

• neverblushed member

  April 2011

  I find that the best way to cover early math concepts is by cooking with my kids.  

  In kindergarten, the key concepts teachers care about are:

  --understanding one to one relationship between spoken numbers and objects when counting.

  --understanding the idea behind addition and number sentences (don't have to know math facts yet; just that 3 cookies and one more cookie adds up to 4 cookies; that if you have 4 cookies and eat one, you have 3 left.)

  --understanding patterns and being able to continue a pattern. Ex: triangle, triangle, square; triangle, triangle, what next?  Being able to label them with letters.  The one above would be an "A, A, B" pattern.

  --comparing values with less than, more than, same/equal to 

  --shapes, solids and their qualities

  --recognizing coins and knowing their denominations

  --sorting by different qualities 

  --recognizing numbers from 0 to 31

  --skip counting by 2s, 5s, 10s up to 100

  --ordinal numbers: first, second, third, etc., and how these terms relate to position

  --which instruments are used for measuring and what they tell us (ruler measures length, scale measures weight, thermometer measures temperature, etc.)

  --measuring using non-standard units.  How many jellybeans long is this index card?

  --beginning awareness of graphs and charts, awareness of calendar

  I found that a good preschool or kindergarten math workbook from the bookstore was fun for my kids during preschool and covered most of the kindy math curriculum.

  GL! 

  High School English teacher and mom of 2 kids:

  
  

  DD, born 9/06/00 -- 12th grade

  DS, born 8/25/04 -- 7th grade

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