any good resources for stretching a YR child in maths?

[DestinationUnknown]

ds is 4.9 & seems to be very able at maths. he loves numbers and is super keen to explore anything to do with them. I would like to really get him fired up and enjoying it more than the general Reception activities offer right now.

I feel perfectly able to teach him myself but would like some sort of structure to follow so I don't leave out something basic along the way. Is there anything good out there? There are lots of reading schemes but maths doesn't seem to get the same treatment.

I don't know about structured learning but my DD has enjoyed all the computer games I can throw at her with a maths underpinning. There are lots on ictgames.co.uk but also on bbc bitesize and bbc starship. It's probably good to just get him exploring maths for fun.

Also there's a book called Maths for Mums and Dads by Rob Eastaway which is just an introduction into how primary maths is taught these days and helped me understand which bits of maths some children find difficult and why. But you may not need this if your son is naturally good at this stuff.

Hi DestinationUnknown:

BBC Learning website is very useful. Here's the link to KS1 Maths: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/keystage_1/topics/maths_ks1.shtml

Also agree BBC Bitesize is very useful: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/

HTH

Fantastic, thank you.

I asked a similar question a couple of years ago, and was advised to steer clear of trying to teach the curriculum, at the risk of leaving DS really bored in class. I think that was good advice. We've gone down the path of some board games - DS enjoyed the Orchard Toys counting ones like Pop to the Shops and Bus Stop - and just exploring whatever mathematical concepts he brings up.

One thing we have found is that DS can do some calculations quite easily - but doesn't understand how he has done it. So one of the things we focus on is being able to write down the calculations he's doing or explain it to someone else, so that when the numbers stop being straight-forward, he has a solid grasp of the methods to use, rather than just his mathematical intuition.

cornflakegirl

I agree that learning maths through games and other non-formal means indirectly at home is a good way to support teaching; however, I think it depends on that school & quality of maths teaching.

Our school was deeply uninspired and there were no targets. They refuse to teach mutliplication beyond x2, x5 and x10 in Y2 (not a problem for our DD1 who was still struggling to take 1 from 10 - but more able students were just parked). They refused to recommend websites/ worksheets/ ideas to parents regarding help with inability to deal with simply addition/ subtraction sums (i.e. 2 digit number - 1 digit number: like 10 - 1 which my DD1 couldn't even do in March of Y2). They prefer to move children down a group and stop giving them the work they struggle with, then deal with whatever the conceptual problem might be. It has now been established that middle and low attainers are frequently deeply muddled by the myriad of methods they are shown.

So although I totally respect that the advice you received for your school works for you - I think you have to add the caveat that this only works in a school that is performing well and is achieving real learning during numeracy hour.

Outside that situation. Or in a situation where instinctually as a parent alarm bells are ringing (e.g. Deput Head telling me 'It's perfectly normal Mrs. X to leave XXXXX school without knowing all your times tables and unable to divide. Children develop in maths at their own rates.') I think you do have to allow parents the freedom to go 'off plan' when a school is teaching maths badly (and I mean BADLY - Ofsted have just given our school 1 year to improve maths provision, especially for girls. Hurray for OFSTED!).

pastsellbydate that's terrible. Why would you be a teacher at all if you really had such low aspirations? It would be nice if only people who believed in the power of teaching went into teaching.

I appreciate the advice cornflakegirl, and will bear that in mind but tbh ds isn't getting much out of maths in class anyway - I looked at the EYFS targets someone posted on another thread and he's easily beyond the nine levels for reception.

I totally love the school and he is learning tons there, in particular social stuff and improving his writing (which he's been reluctant to do with me). He adores doing maths with me so I'd like to keep his interest and extend him without him realising it's anything other than a game, whereas me trying to get him to do more with his writing is a real battle so that can keep for school at the moment.

In time, get him interested in football league tables - he's perhaps a little young at the moment - but my DS devours the statistics and has done so since he was about 6/7.

PastSellBy - completely agree with you in that situation.

Destination - don't get me wrong, I think it's important to engage with the school too to make sure that they're differentiating for him appropriately too. But I think there's a lot to be said for sideways stretching rather than just accelerating your DS massively ahead of his peers in one subject, and risking boredom and disengagement in a lot of future maths lessons.

On the writing subject - I had a similar issue with my DS, and a similar reaction to you, until the school pointed out that his poor writing skills were actually holding back his maths abilities. (They were putting him into an older class for some maths classes, and while he could keep up with them conceptually, he couldn't keep up with the pace of the written work.)