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Maths resources for number-loving toddler?

39 replies

IsThisYourSanderling · 02/06/2019 18:07

DS is 2.8 and loves numbers, always has. I'm really stumped finding him new number-related things to get excited about though - he's craving more, but everything is either too familiar or too old / complicated for him. We're OK for books, but I'd love some TV programs/clips to show him.

Too familiar includes Numberblocks and Numbersongs, he knows every episode by heart. And things like Schoolhouse Rock he likes, but they're aimed at much older children so it's a bit beyond him.

He's so desperate for some new thing though! He's recently excited about the numbers up to 100, the existence of 1000, and has started writing numbers (he's very cute and pleased with himself about this).

Any suggestions so welcome!

OP posts:
GonzoFlyingProducts · 03/06/2019 21:13

Equivalence cubes might be good.
Given the fact that you've given his age as 2.8 do you think he's inherited this numbers thing from you ? Smile

cantkeepawayforever · 03/06/2019 21:32

I don't think Orchard Toys would be an issue, tbh. I have always thought that the age ranges were very much on the high side, and DS enjoyed them around the same age as your son.

If he hates losing, get him to play 2 soft toys against one another, rolling the dice for both of them. takes away the personal aspect of losing...

(DS wasn't wildly keen on losing, and games were a good way of teaching him to do it gracefully. Woe betide anyone who took his Favourite Man for the bus stop game, though. ..)

gotmychocolateimgood · 03/06/2019 21:36

Numicon is great to just play with. Available on amazon.

randomsabreuse · 03/06/2019 21:38

Has he read Spinderella? Julia Donaldson book about a spider who wants to know about numbers...

Duplo and Lego if they're not too frustrating - even just for making his own number blocks

cantkeepawayforever · 03/06/2019 21:46

Number books and songs are good! Ten Red Apples, Hippos Go Beserk ('One hippo, alone once more, misses the other forty four'), A Million Chameleons if you can find a copy...

cantkeepawayforever · 03/06/2019 21:50

This is a great resource for finding maths story books for all ages.

OhioOhioOhio · 03/06/2019 22:00

Not had time to read the thread but mine love Numberjacks.

JustMarriedBecca · 03/06/2019 22:02

You can buy back episodes of the numberblocks magazine. We got ours that way. If you Google, you'll find easily.

Ours are used for role play.

And new series starts 10th June.

stucknoue · 03/06/2019 22:26

Look at resources homeschool for reception, many years ago I used them for dd at that age

AlbusPercival · 04/06/2019 06:35

My DS likes playing with little cubes that click together, working out different ways to make 10 cubes e.g. 4 pink and 6 yellow

Got the cubes on amazon

MoonriseKingdom · 04/06/2019 12:41

Numberjacks can be found on YouTube. It covers more of a variety of things than Numberblocks eg shapes, patterns, numberbonds.

ObtuseTriangle · 04/06/2019 12:56

We liked a card game one, two, three flip. Also Hi ho cherry o and lady bugs. I ordered them from Amazon US. DS also liked carrying a tape measure and calculator around at preschool age. He loved using the rain gauge and using measuring cups and spoons.

IsThisYourSanderling · 04/06/2019 16:28

So many great ideas here, thanks so much.

I find Numberjacks really quite creepy tbh.... Fantastic to hear about the new Numberblocks series (phew!)

OP posts:
brilliotic · 13/06/2019 11:58

A little late, and I know that you're not mainly looking for apps, but if you do want a good app (perhaps when he outgrows/gets bored of Numberblocks, which btw I also think are excellent, an amazing resource) -
look at the Dragonbox ones ('We want to know'). I am surprised they haven't been mentioned yet!

For your child the one called 'Numbers' sounds quite appropriate. It is fantastic for developing 'number sense' - second only to doing the same with actual concrete objects, IMO. And young children who love numbers usually love this app.

My youngest is now five and in reception and massively enjoying 'Big Numbers' (which teaches column addition). Eldest is eight and in Y4 and can do column addition in his sleep, but still enjoys that game, just for the fun of it.

At age 4-5 my eldest enjoyed the 'Algebra 5+' and now he is just about to complete the 'Algebra 12+'. These apps are so good, he literally does algebra for fun. And did so at age 4 and 5 as well.

They also have a geometry app called 'Elements' which DD played around with a bit at age 3, but wasn't really 'getting it'; DS at 8 has picked up quite a bit of geometry through this game. So perhaps best for slightly older kids.

And they have a chess app 'Magnus Kingdom of Chess' which I'd thoroughly recommend to anyone 4-8 or so, who wants to learn the basic rules of chess. We use chess as 'sideways' extension, for our children to learn to problem solve, deal with frustration and defeat, and intellectual challenge. But before you reach that stage where chess can be used for that, you need to get to the point where recognising the 'legal' chess moves becomes automatic, and for most young children (4-6) this is hard to achieve, unless they are a prodigy of some sort. But this app enables development of a very good 'feel' for chess moves, just by playing a fun game. ('Older' children 6-8 can still benefit from the app, but there are other ways for them to learn as well.)

So in age procession, start with Numbers, continue to Algebra 5+ and Magnus Kingdom of Chess from age 4 onwards, then Big Numbers from age 5, then Elements and Algebra 12+ from age 7 or 8. A fantastic family of apps. (And no I don't work for them!)

There is also Osmo, which are apps with concrete hands-on elements. In Osmo 'Numbers', you lay out (real life, concrete) number tiles or tiles with a number of dots on them, to create new numbers in various ways. The camera sees what you are doing and translates it to the screen. Quite good IMO but terribly expensive. We would never have bought them but got them as a gift.
They also have coding and story telling and tangram apps (which are also good), and more I think (I'm not up to date).

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