Child obsessed with numbers?

[tizzy13]

I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with a child who is obsessed with numbers?

I don’t just mean a slight obsession either, it’s all day every day as soon as my 4 year old wakes up he’s asking me what’s 5x5 or telling me sums he’s learnt. He doesn’t want to watch anything on the TV apart from Numberblocks and gets upset if I suggest something different, will stamp his feet and scream.
He no longer plays with normal toys, he got loads of lovely things for Christmas yet only wants to play with his duplo blocks which he often orders into colour and number order, using them to count and do sums.
I know he’s not inherently doing anything wrong but I miss my boy who used to play with cars and train tracks… it’s becoming l quite an intense interest and I feel like a broken record repeating sums all day long. When I say please no more maths questions he gets very upset with me.

Where do I get support for this and how do I support his interest without letting his obsession go too far? Thanks Mummas, from an exhausted Mum of a 4 year old and 12-week old!

I don’t know but could have wrote this about my daughter she is obsessed with numbers but also finds them quite triggering, If people count she gets worked up. She’s autistic.

Restricted interests can be difficult to manage as there is little else to distract them. However, I would suggest saying, Ds, we will discuss numbers/whatever for 10 minutes then I'm going to sort out x - what will you do? Make a plan then set a timer. 10 mins of discussion then onto your next thing. And repeat.

I think I would suddenly be useless at maths. What’s 2 x 3? I don’t know Son , you tell me.
Mum the square root of 9 is 3 ! That’s nice dear.

Hopefully he will either be a genius or get bored and find another interest

My DD used to have (still has) very intense interests. If it was something I struggled with I would say we can talk about this for 20 minutes then I have to do x. But generally I found it easier to lean into her interests and go with it.

Same with DS. Multi link are great for independent play, we have about 300 now and he’s always playing with them.

DS1 was the same, largely encouraged by DH who is also interested in maths.
Go with it and teach him. He'll move on to something else after a while.
DS became a maths teacher and still loves numbers...

Buy this book! And then basically just go for it.

https://amzn.eu/d/iAedMVK

There are some math game apps aimed at small kids. Maybe you could print off some simple maths sheets for him to have a go at, he sounds very advanced. 5x5 is something my 9 yo is still practicing at school along with other times tables. As you may already know an obsessive interest in a particular topic can be a sign of neurodiversity.

I’d try channeling the interest into something he can do more independently to give you a break from the subject. I don’t see any harm in this obsession for him but can see how it can be very exhausting and unbearable for you.

Can he read numbers and sums? If yes then get him some exercise books with practice sums, maybe he’ll enjoy reading them. He could also try things like dot to dot puzzles, numerical crosswords, or if that’s too simple, sudokus. Even if he can’t write, you can get him sheets of number stickers from Amazon that he can use to fill in the answers. What mathsy activity books does he have already?

If he doesn’t want to read then there are also maths focussed cards for the Yoto player he might like.

My autistic DC was the same. I just reply with “well what do you think is the answer?” Thankfully I’ve done it so much for years that it’s second nature now.

Can he read yet? Does he understand the way that numbers are added/subtracted and can do the subs himself? If so get him some basic educational work books and let him get on with it and mark them for him. Buy him maths flash cards. There are loads of ideas for maths activities on Pinterest/sparkle etc.

it’s hard with a mathematically gifted child, one of mine was like this has adhd and autism. Every cat h journey was maths and stuff. We got around it by playing memory games which was exhausting but he also liked Thomas trains. So which train is blue with 2 big wheels and 3 small wheels? Which one is black and grey with two funnels etc ?

Get a basic laminated timetable grid and then he literally has the answers at his finger tips.

but yeah, it can be hard! I am terrible at marks and in my family it’s very much that the females are great at English/languages but the boys are very math/science in their thinking. I had a degree and masters in English but still can’t pass a maths GCSE

@Alexadidzammomarryjackiemost Autistic kids are obsessed with something we have a problem with our lights our GS wants them off all day and night and very aggressive if we turn them on we need help with this aswell

Did you see this recently?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mind-blowing-skills-four-year-36437762

Buy him some math exercise books, Get him a calculator And a times table wall poster - and let him have fun! You sound like you have a future math genius on your hands.
I get it it’s annoying but encourage as much independently as possible when you’ve had enough!

I'd build on his interest, but focus on resources that he can use independently.

Does he have:

A calculator
Magnetic numbers
Usborne Times Tables book
Things to sort and count e.g buttons or different sizes and colours
Numicon blocks/resources
Worksheets
Number stencils
Number stickers

Sounds like my DS who has Asperger’s and a first class masters in maths.

Have you considered teaching him how to do Sudoku?

There’s a lot of other puzzle/number toys out there that might float his boat. For example have you let him play with your kitchen scales?

Numberblocks is excellent for mathematical understanding! They also do tonies of them if you want him away from a screen. They do some numberblock multi link cubes which are great for all sorts of things like understanding the composition of numbers. My little one was very into numbers at 4 and he absolutely loved them and after a while could play with them independently (and give me a break!) He's a maths whizz now in year 2 so sometimes good to go with interests! Good luck! X

My son who just turned four is exactly the same, he has been interested in numbers since very early on (all the nursery rhymes he liked had to involve counting - five monkeys jumping on the bed; five little speckled frogs; ten in the bed, etc). We thought he could be autistic when he was toddler as he was very fixated in lining up toys - later on we understood that was his very early stages of counting.

It can be exhausting but we encourage his interest. We bought him some activity books and math links cubes, and enjoys very much practicing . He also got a very basic calculator for his birthday which he loves!

1. get him a calculator so he can check calculations independently.
2. get him some games that let him think like a coder. It’s not numbers exactly, but it’s a similar idea of having steps and relationships and it may channel his energy.

I recommend

Robot Turtles which will require you to play with him

Turing Tumble. If he has decent manual dexterity. Otherwise he might be a bit young. but it is a solo activity.