Math at Home
At first glance, early math instruction looks like easy kids’ stuff. But watch a first
or second grader try to make sense of the number line and you’ll get quite a
different view. After all, when you’re just coming from the world of sandbox and
toy, it’s a giant intellectual leap to go from one integer to another, let alone take
one abstract number, like a ten, and break it into concrete parts. To a six year
old, this can feel like calculus!
Challenging as it may be, this early math is also crucial. In fact, experts even
refer to these skills as math “literacy”— skills which are as fundamental to young
minds as the ability to decode words. Hopefully, by the end of second grade,
your child will have a very solid understanding of the number line from 1-100. He
or she will also understand what addition and subtraction are, and should be able
to do both of them with ease. Also, your child should have a solid basic grasp of
how to tell time and how to count change up to a dollar.
Unfortunately, say many educators, all too many children are unprepared for third
grade math, and since the subject is so sequential, problems only grow over
time. Steve Slavin, Ph.D., professor and author of Math for your First and Second
Grader: All You Need to Know to be your Child’s Best Teacher, estimates that
this number may be as high as 50% nationwide. For those children, he offers this
dire comparison: “It’s like a track meet, where one of the runners is stuck trying to
run with one foot in a pail of cement.” In other words, it’s something we parents
want to avoid at all costs.
So what can parents do? Here are Slavin’s top three recommendations:
“Just Say Yes” anytime your child wants to talk about math or asks for help with
it. Do this naturally, and convey your positive attitude both about the subject and
about your child’s abilities. And even if your child doesn’t volunteer, try to spend
a short time every evening, perhaps after dinner and before bedtime reading,
doing some basic math together. Bottom line, says Slavin: “It’s simple. You learn
math by doing math.”
Do math often, but keep it short and simple. Remember: the most
important goal of this stage is a deep, nearly automatic mastery of basic
addition and subtraction. Slavin strongly recommends constant repetition
of concepts, not just with paper and pencil but with objects as well.
Remember, a household can be a treasure trove for young
mathematicians, whether it’s counting spoons, pennies, or marshmallow
treats. By all means, he says, leave calculators out, and focus on the joy
of discovery. Don’t overdo it, either: fifteen minutes a day is plenty.
Know the standards, and stay in touch with your teacher. You have every
right, Slavin says, to ask your child’s teacher exactly what’s being taught and
what your kid is learning. You should also check your state standards, which are
published on the website for your state’s Department of Education. You can
augment the curriculum with store-bought workbooks, and, says Slavin, you may
follow the example of Japanese parents, who buy a copy of their children’s texts
to keep at home.
Whatever strategies you adopt, says Slavin, remember that a good grasp of
fundamentals at this early age can improve math for a lifetime. “There’s a saying
among farmers,” he says, “Don’t eat your seed corn.” In a competitive,
technological age, we need to raise children who can handle the challenges of
mathematics. The investment of a few minutes a night, he promises, can offer
everyone a rich harvest for years to come.