Math is actually not as dreaded a
subject as it is made out to be, provided a teacher inculcates a sense of
understanding in kids at an early age. Most people who talk about suffering
from ‘math phobia’ have the same underlying problem – they never really grasped
the basics correctly. Hence, it is important for kids to get their facts and
figures in place right from the very beginning.
Though there is no dearth of cool math games like these that help kids in
learning math in a fun way, here are 3 simple ways you could help them with the
subject at home itself.
1. Playing with Lego
Playing with Lego bricks can be
an enjoyable way of introducing kids to the basics of math, right from
preschool. The colorful bricks are captivating and the kids stay gainfully
occupied while playing too since their hands and minds are busy all the while. Here’s
how you can begin with a simple game: Use an erasable marker to number 6 bricks
of different colors from 1-6 (there can be as many series of 1-6 as there are
kids playing). Leave them loose in a pile.
Take a dice and ask your little
one to roll it. Ask her to then say the number out loud and look for a brick
with the same number. The game is simple – roll the dice, recognize the number,
find the corresponding numbered brick and build your tower. Then it is the next
player’s turn to do the same. The game continues till one of the players
completes her tower with 6 bricks. She is then declared the winner. This is
just an example of a very basic Lego game to teach preschoolers number
identification.
(Note: In case a number shows up
on the dice which has already been rolled in the past, the said player skips
her turn.)
2. Gardening with Math
Planting your garden for the
season is a fun task, as well as a good opportunity to get your kids to learn
some gardening and brush up on their math skills. Bonus: They can get their
hands as messy as they want! Start by handing your kids a measuring tape and
asking them to take and note down measurements – the size of the planting box,
how much space a particular plant needs, and the like. Also, involve your kids
in counting out the seeds and/or packets of other supplies too that are
required.
Next comes the planting part. Allow
your child to use a ruler to measure out the depth at which the seeds need to
be planted. Most seed packets have this part mentioned on the backs. Space out
the rows between seeds appropriately using the ruler for it as well. Finally,
it is a good idea for your child to maintain and update a notebook to record,
say, the weekly growth of plants in centimeters and inches.
3. Playing Cards
Card games can be a good way to
spend quality time with the family. You could also use it as an opportune time
for your kids to practice basic math calculations. For instance, the game
called Go Fish! can help
with addition skills. Or else, the evergreen Memory game played using a single deck of playing cards can never
go wrong. You could play it like this: Decide on a featured number and remove
all cards from the deck that are higher or more than that specific number. Shuffle
as usual, placing all cards face down on a flat table.
Each player has to flip two cards
from anywhere to find a matching pair. Say, the number you’ve chosen is 7. Then
its pairs could be (6+1), (5+2), (4+3) and so on. The player who manages to
find the maximum number of matching pairs emerges as the winner.
Simple and fun, aren’t they? Do
add more ideas to this list if you too use some fun methods to teach kids math
at home.
