Maths - do they 'get it' all of a sudden??

[Boozilla]

Just wondering? DS is in Year 1 and I'm finding maths a real struggle with him. He can do very basic sums but if given a more 'wordy' question he is utterly stumped and just immediately says "oh that's really tricky, I don't know". Any kind of multiplication also throws him completely. He can count in 2s and 5s but that's more memory than having any idea what he's actually doing.

He just seems to really struggle with quite basic concepts and if we work on something one day and then go back to it the next day it has completely gone from his mind.

I know lots of parents in this area have tutors (but very few admit to it) and it's a very competitive area. Does it all 'click' at some point like reading seems to or is maths a different animal altogether??

Also a primary school teacher.
Keep it practical, play lots of games with dice, counting, etc, try doing things in lots of different ways: cuisenaire rods, abacus, marbles, fir cones, fingers, number lines ...
Don't get stressed; at 6, children are just starting school in many countries (and in others won't start for another year). Children in these countries achieve just as well by the end of primary school; arguably, you can do more harm by 'pushing' too early than by letting them take their time and temporarily 'get behind'.

@SeenButNotHeard - feel your guilt :( its so hard trying to do it all! But you are obviously aware that she does not get it and are trying to help your DD. They continue to work on this stuff in Y2 so it does click eventually.

Have a look at Cuisenaire rods. They need adult help to explain things but if your child is very visual, they are invaluble - done three generations. T

OP, I think your son is well within the normal range for his age, and if he's pushed too hard to answer questions when he hasn't yet grasped the concept, it will make it all more confusing for him. Many five year olds are not ready to understand multiplication. I think you should do nothing. One day he will see a need to multiply, and then it will make sense to him.

I consider my daughter very able mathematically, and she has had long plateaus where not much seemed to be happening. Later, she had no difficulty grasping ideas which had previously stumped her. For instance, for several years, she had a strong drive to be able to "get" place value. She could never remember whether to write thirty-seven as 37 or 73, and had no idea why there should be a zero in 103 or why one would want to line numbers up and add them by columns. Then one day, it all became clear. I think she was nine. It wasn't through teaching, because she wasn't being taught maths. She was just turning these ideas over in her mind as she encountered them in the world around her. That process of discovery gets short-circuited if we are driving kids to grapple with concepts before they are ready.

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201003/when-less-is-more-the-case-teaching-less-math-in-schools

'We got out 10 pennies and this was the only way that she could work out all the number bonds to 10.'

you say that like it's a bad thing! It's a brilliant way of understanding this sort of thing. I suggest buying a big box of poker chips (many Pound shops have them) and getting them out every time there's maths to be done

Loads of children struggle with word problems. It's a subject for discussion in lots of schools - ours has special small group work in year 5 and 6 for just this issue, and if you look at breakdowns of SATS paperrs there is always a dip for the word problems.

I suggest lots and lots of practical examples in daily life - do cooking and double the mixture. Work out how many days a bag of guinea pig food will last. How many packets of MatchAttax cards can he buy with his pound coin.....all that sort of thing.

And don't believe he's behind unless the teacher tells you in eo many words - and shows you his SATS level. Parents lie like troopers, and I also think we misremember what we could do when in our own schooldays!

My children seem to have learning spurts in maths. My evidence is anecdotal but if you keep on discussing mathematical concepts like change in a shop for instance, they get better and quicker at solving them.

With respect to number bonds to 10, at our school one of the suggested methods is holding up 10 fingers, put some fingers down and the ones that are still up is the correspondiing number bond. So for 4, put up 10 fingers, lower 4 and you have 6 up. My daughter likes singing hers, she would sing "0 and 10, 1 and 9, 2 and 8..."

My daughter used to read word questions and draw a picture to work out what the question was asking. Once she started doing this, it helped me explain other mathematical concepts to her.

SeenBut: I felt sad reading your words! You are clearly doing loads for your kids, and then, good mum that you are, you are asking about what you see as problems on MN as well....chuck the guilt down the loo, and yes, enjoy playing number games with sticky shapes on the side of the bath. NONE of us get to do it all with our kids - besides, some people might spend hours drilling maths into their kids and balls up the play side of things

A tutor here!
Use as many concrete materials as you like for as long as your DCs need it! Number bonds of 10 can be practiced if you make a bead string. Put 10 beads on a string/lace and knot at each end. Put 5 in one colour then change colour for the other 5. Play lots of "can you guess how many beads I am hiding in my hand?" type games! You can also put 10 objects in a sealed clear plastic bag. Hide some with hand, dcs have to guess how many are hidden.

I like this book www.amazon.co.uk/Dyscalculia-Toolkit-Supporting-Learning-Difficulties/dp/1412947650 for more detailed ideas of practising basic number concepts. Aimed at older students with difficulties, but lots of the ideas are good for younger (under 7's) children learning the concepts too!

Some great ideas on here - thanks everyone.

Elibean - you are too nice