5 year old and maths

[teafor1]

My reception child got "emerging" for numbers. He is fine with counting objects but has difficulty with addition, subtraction, halving etc. He can most of the time do it with numbers up to 10 but it's not automatic. Forget numbers up to 20. I got him a workbook to do over the summer: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0721707939/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which I'm hoping will help the situation. Is math like reading where it will click a bit later for some kids? Or do some just need more repetition to get it?

In my experience, some children need more repetition than others for the recall of number facts to become automatic. In my opinion, playing card and board games (snakes & ladders, ludo, monopoly etc) are a much better way of getting number practise than doing a workbook. You can get 10 sided dice if you want to use bigger numbers than 1-6. You could also decide to double the value of each throw of the dice, and then if you're feeling really mean you can double the value of each square on the board (so you count 2, 4, 6 etc rather than 1, 2, 3 when you move).

My DD enjoyed playing matching pairs for making 10....I agree...games are a good way to help.

I agree with the games. Also, better to use real physical objects to practise with rather than words or pictures on a page.

My dd was much the same at end reception. With regular but short sessions doing basic sums using number lines and squares she is slowly getting it, and we play lots of games and I get her to do a few sums mentally on car journeys often too. I don't think she gets enough repetition at school, and she says they move on before she is comfortable with a topic. She's now at expected level at the end of yr 2 so is doing well. With dd it's repetition that helps for maths. There has definitely been no sudden click or big improvement, though I can always hope!

Thanks everyone. I will need to get some games... I like the 10 sided dice idea too.

I just ordered a bunch of dice to take on our trip with us. Perfect thing to kill time while in the airport.

Have you got an abacus?

My DD (reception) found it hard to do say 12 + 2 without counting from one but with an abacus she got the hang of counting out 12 and then adding 2 on iyswim.

We also play board games but with 2 dice so she has to add the 2 dice together.

Hi -
Here is a long reply I gave to someone else the other day :

QUOTE :

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths work, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:

ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other

etc, etc

then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

I am sorry it seems complicated trying to explain these concepts, but using Lego or counters should make understanding easier.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4.
KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

Personally, I would not recommend i-pad apps, as REAL objects make things clearer. There are good web sites though, which can be fun to use :

ictgames.com/

resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html

[Much of this may not be relevant for you now, but take what you want from it, and the rest may be more useful in the future]

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