How early should your child's math
education start? While your toddler is years away from calculus
class, with basic math concepts, the earlier the better. If you're
not sure what your toddler could or should learn right now, take a
look at what you need to know about this age group and math.
Math Skills Develop Early
Even though your child can't add,
subtract, multiply, or divide as a two-year-old, they are able to
learn some math basics. Research
shows that children as young as 14-months-old may have the ability to
grasp the beginning concepts of skills such as counting.
According to a study from Johns Hopkins
University, 14- and 18-month-olds had an easier time remembering how
many items were hidden in a box and were better able to anticipate
when more items were in a box when researchers counted (in comparison
to using vague words such as "this").
While this doesn't mean your young
toddler can count yet, it does speak to the need your child has when
hearing numeral words and learning about numbers. How can you help
your child develop math skills early? Read on for more information on
the best ways to build your child's budding abilities.
Math Skills Are Building Blocks
You don't need to wait until your child
is in preschool or kindergarten to start math skill development. What
types of specific math skills can your child learn right now? Even
though they may not master mathematical concepts, think of these
skills as basic building blocks that will springboard them into
future learning.
As the Johns Hopkins research study
showed, toddlers can learn about numerals and counting. Along with
these concepts, early math education also includes geometry (shapes),
patterns, measurements, and problemsolving.
If you're not sure how to take these
often-adult-seeming concepts and make them toddler-friendly, talk to
your child's teacher. The early childhood educator can provide an
overview of classroom activities and other ideas. Along with
math-specific activities, you can also incorporate the concepts into
other areas and your everyday life.
Math Skills Span Multiple Areas
Your toddler won't build math skills in
the same way that an older child or teen would. Unlike a highschooler
who can sit at a desk, listen to a lecture, and take tests, younger
children often need a more hands-on approach. In the early education
setting, this means your child will learn about math concepts through
multiple content areas - such as art, music, science, or literacy.
Like classroom-based learning, you can
also carry your child's math education into the home environment.
This can also include the use of multiple content or activity areas.
Instead of worksheets and flashcards, integrate math into story time
(read books about numbers), art-making (paint in patterns or draw
shapes), or block play (name the shapes or count the blocks).
Math Skills Grow from Careful
Communication
Again, your toddler learns differently
than an older child does. This requires you to communicate
differently with your toddler than you would with an elementary or
high schooler. The more you talk to your tot, the more comfortable
they'll feel with basic math concepts. Instead of foreign, scary
subject matter, math will gradually become an everyday topic they'll
grow to understand.
As you go through your day, point out
numerals in your environment (such as on the calorie content of your
child's morning cereal box or the phone number on a billboard), count
the number of cars that drive by or how many steps you take as you
walk to school, and search for shapes in your home (a book is a
rectangle or the kitchen tabletop is a circle).
Is your toddler ready to start their
preschool education? Contact Riviera
Children's Center for more information.
