Tips: How to get your kids into Math.

At school, children learn the concepts and skills identified for each grade and there are five major areas, or strands, of mathematics. The names of the five strands are: Number Sense and Numeration, Measurement, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Patterning and Algebra, and Data Management and Probability. You will see these strand names on your child’s report card. The activities in this guide are connected with the different strands of the curriculum.

What tips can I use to help my child?

• Be positive about math!
• Let your child know that everyone can learn math.
• Let your child know that you think math is important and fun.
• Point out the ways in which different family members use math in their jobs.
• Be positive about your own math abilities. Try to avoid saying "I was never good at math" or "I never liked math".
• Encourage your child to be persistent if a problem seems difficult.
• Praise your child when he or she makes an effort, and share in the excitement when he or she solves a problem or understands something for the first time.

What math activities can I do with my child? (Measurement)

We use measurements to determine the height, length, and width of objects, as well as the area they cover, the volume they hold, and other characteristics. We measure time and money. Developing the ability to estimate and to measure accurately takes time and practice.

Measure items found around the house. Have your child find objects that are longer or shorter than a shoe or a string or a ruler. Together, use a shoe to measure the length of a floor mat. Fill different containers with sand in a sandbox or with water in the bath, and see which containers hold more and which hold less.

Estimate everything! Estimate the number of steps from your front door to the edge of your yard, then walk with your child to find out how many there really are, counting steps as you go. Estimate how many bags of milk your family will need for the week. At the end of the week, count up the number of bags you actually used. Estimate the time needed for a trip. If the trip is expected to take 25 minutes, when do you have to leave? Have your child count the number of stars he or she can draw in a minute. Ask if the total is more or less than your child thought it would be.

Compare and organize household items. Take cereal boxes or cans of vegetables from the cupboard and have your child line them up from tallest to shortest.

Talk about time. Ask your child to check the time on the clock when he or she goes to school, eats meals, and goes to bed. Together, look up the time of a television program your child wants to watch. Record on a calendar the time of your child’s favourite away-fromhome activity.

Keep a record of the daily temperature outside and of your child’s outdoor activities. After a few weeks, ask your child to look at the record and see how the temperature affected his or her activities.

Include your child in activities that involve measurements. Have your child measure the ingredients in a recipe, or the length of a bookshelf you plan to build. Trade equal amounts of money. How many pennies do you need to trade for a nickel? for a dime?

What math activities can I do with my child? (Understanding Numbers)

Numbers are used to describe quantities, to count, and to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Understanding numbers and knowing how to combine them to solve problems helps us in all areas of math.

Count everything! Count toys, kitchen utensils, and items of clothing as they come out of the dryer. Help your child count by pointing to and moving the objects as you say each number out loud. Count forwards and backwards from different starting places. Use household items to practise adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.

Sing counting songs and read counting books. Every culture has counting songs, such as "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and "Ten Little Monkeys", which make learning to count – both forwards and backwards – fun for children. Counting books also capture children’s imagination, by using pictures of interesting things to count and to add.

Discover the many ways in which numbers are used inside and outside your home. Take your child on a "number hunt" in your home or neighbourhood. Point out how numbers are used on the television set, the microwave, and the telephone. Spot numbers in books and newspapers. Look for numbers on signs in your neighbourhood. Encourage your child to tell you whenever he or she discovers a new way in which numbers are used.

Ask your child to help you solve everyday number problems. "We need six tomatoes to make our sauce for dinner, and we have only two. How many more do we need to buy?" "You have two pillows in your room and your sister has two pillows in her room. How many pillowcases do I need to wash?" "Two guests are coming to eat dinner with us. How many plates will we need?"

Practise "skip counting". Together, count by 2’s and 5’s. Ask your child how far he or she can count by 10’s. Roll two dice, one to determine a starting number and the other to determine the counting interval. Ask your child to try counting backwards from 10, 20, or even 100.

Make up games using dice and playing cards. Try rolling dice and adding or multiplying the numbers that come up. Add up the totals until you reach a target number, like 100. Play the game backwards to practise subtraction.

Play "Broken Calculator". Pretend that the number 8 key on the calculator is broken. Without it, how can you make the number 18 appear on the screen? (Sample answers: 20 – 2, 15 + 3). Ask other questions using different "broken" keys.

How children learn math?

Children learn math best through activities that encourage them to:

• explore;
• think about what they are exploring;
• solve problems using information they have gathered themselves;
• explain how they reached their solutions.

Children learn easily when they can connect math concepts and procedures to their own experience. By using common household objects (such as measuring cups and spoons in the kitchen) and observing everyday events (such as weather patterns over the course of a week), they can "see" the ideas that are being taught.

An important part of learning math is learning how to solve problems. Children are encouraged to use trial and error to develop their ability to reason and to learn how to go about problem solving. They learn that there may be more than one way to solve a problem and more than one answer. They also learn to express themselves clearly as they explain their solutions

Play to learn.... how to???

LEARNING through play opens the child’s mind to what is in the environment. They discover how things are done and develop the understanding of right and wrong from playing.

Children thrive on simple yet meaningful play experiences.


Balls – Babies like holding soft balls while toddlers enjoy the rubbery ones that they can hold with both hands and throw. Preschoolers love playing ball-catching with their friends. As they grow and develop more skills, they start playing ball games with rules.

Blocks – They come in all sizes, shapes and colours. I still love the wooden ones that children can stack them up in a tall tower when they are just babies or toddlers. When they become preschoolers, they build bridges and houses of all types.

Cardboard boxes and containers – Babies like to repeatedly put objects into a container and then tip them out. Older children will explore ways to play with containers of all sizes and shapes.

Sand and water play – This is a self-directed and engaged learning for young children. Add fun things like food colouring, turkey baster, funnel, cups and plastic toys. Young children will be busy for a long time.

A walk – Children need outdoor play. They need to run and jump freely. They can discover interesting living organisms in their natural surroundings. This experience will truly spur them to greater heights of creativity and learning.

Scarves and bedsheets – They can throw the scarves up in the air and watch them float down to touch their faces. They can wave them around and do their special dances. My then preschool-age daughters would use a bedsheet as a parachute or pretend that it is a popcorn popper with balloons. As they grew older, they used bedsheets to create tents for their special hide-outs.

Mirror, mirror on the wall – Babies and toddlers like looking at mirrors to discover themselves and others. Preschoolers love making different or funny faces in front of the mirror. Put two mirrors in front and at the back of an object for your child to view. He can see the object from both sides. To add to your child’s learning fun, make a triangular box of mirrors for your child to put different objects in it (make sure you seal off the sharp sides).

Painting – Children like messy play. Finger-painting is a great start to working creatively with colours for young children. Use large pieces of paper and non-toxic paints.

Singing – Singing simple nursery rhymes with children can expand their imagination and help them develop phonemic awareness. They will also exercise their auditory memory skills.

Puzzles – Home-made or store-bought puzzles are educational and fun for children from late infancy to preschool age. Start with two pieces to pair up, working towards more pieces for the child to put together. The younger the child is, the larger the pieces.

Parents as children’s first play-partners provide both educational and entertaining fun.

There is no greater fun for a child than having his parents get down on the floor and spend some time, say about 15 minutes, to play with him without giving any suggestions or directions. Children who take the lead in play will gain much as they get to practise their skills and experiment safely with their new ideas. They feel confident when the adults let them plan and direct their play session together.