Will you be celebrating Pi day? No, I didn’t forget the e in pie, but spelled Pi, the Greek letter for finding the distance around a circle. This is a humorous, silly day to remind all of us that math isn’t dull or scary, but can be fun. Did you know that right at home is where math fun and learning starts? Since what happens in the family will influence a child’s kindergarten readiness and life-long attitude to math that fun adds up to be very valuable (pardon the pun).
Every day there are ways to have fun with numbers and other math ideas. Here are sum some suggestions:
- When helping your child dress, if possible, count buttons on the shirts and sweaters.That’s using numbers.
- At the table, what shape is a bowl? Is the plate the same shape? Geometry is about shapes.
- How much cereal goes in the bowl? That’s the notion of amount.
- Look at the clock. Is it time to go? Numbers again.
- When walking to the car or bus, count each step. How high can you count together?
- If there’s time, let your child choose how many books to read.
- Sing some number songs, like 5 Little Ducks, or 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, or 10 in the Bed and the Little One Said.
- Read a story about numbers. There are countless books. Or should I say counting books?
There will be other opportunities today to use numbers and words such as more, less, small-medium-big, and others. You may need to ask if your child wants just half an apple or a whole one. That’s fractions. What is important is to have fun with math and enjoy being able to play with numbers. Children will feel far more confident when it comes to learning at school if they have had lots of experiences with math ideas at home. How many times today will you and your child use math?