Reception level maths help at home

[Buzzybees]

Any recommendations for ways I can support DS age 5 with learning maths at home? He is in reception.

We read books with him & do Floppy Phonics activity books to help with reading & practise writing but I'm stuck when it comes to how to help him with maths.

Thinking of activity books, games etc

Thanks

Does he need any help?

Y1 DS seems to have picked everything up fine so far without us doing anything at home bar what school sent home.

From memory, the thing that really got DS engaged with addition/making numbers up in different ways was when school suggested we got them to use real coins to make numbers in different ways - from DS and talking to the other parents, this seemed to engage lots of DC.

Using sweeties for maths problems also seemed to help (when he was allowed to eat them as reward).

We do things like looking for the biggest house number we can spot when driving somewhere.

Get DS to practice counting in 1s, 2s, 10s, 5s.

Get him used to handling coins, pay in shops, look at price labels and coin values.
Use lots of 'maths' language- adding, plus, take away, less, more, fewer, heavier, taller. Do lots of comparing and guessing.
Measure things - baking, measure ingredients and measure the tin. Discuss the circle cake and how many slices you can cut. Use language like half, quarter, semi circle.
Practice rolling balls down a hill- what will the heavier ball do? Close your eyes and decide which ball is heavier without looking.
Shapes- use names of common and less common shape names. If he's ready move on to 3d shapes.

This is the Numeracy advice I always provide, having been a primary TA for twenty years:

?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, 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,
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'.

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.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

www.ictgames.com/

www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/page/default.asp?title=Woodlands%20Junior%20School&pid=1

Ask school for a copy of his targets - they should give u them - and you can tailor normal activities to suit. Playing card games - yatzee - shape games - dice - buttons - will help.

Letts or CGP do revision guides and workbooks for KS1.
Also there's the Letts Mythical Maths series.
On line: BBC bitesize, Khan Academy and Nrich.

We just talk about numbers as we go about our day. Same with reading - point out words and try and get him to read.

So when we are playing games, point out how many there are of things, how many left etc etc.

I don't feel the need to push too much at this age (ds is in reception) - that can wait.

Really helpful ideas all - thank you!