It’s pretty safe to say that a lot of people have an aversion to math. I remember attending a workshop for students who had admitted phobias on the subject, and the words of a prominent math teacher struck me when he said, “If a person were to insinuate that they couldn’t read, there would be immediate concern from everyone who is reading.” within earshot. But when someone says they can’t do math, no one would consider it a problem at all.” Which is really tragic considering that math pervades our lives whether we are aware of it or not. Can you imagine not being able to decide which consumer loan is better due to the impossibility of calculating interest? Or perhaps struggling with calculating sales tax on items prior to purchase? There is definitely no way around it: mathematics has a place in our daily lives.
Mathematics, like English, French or C++, is just a language! And like all languages, when learned and practiced early in life, it creates a foundation for future mastery. So the question is: when is a child old enough to start learning the subject? Well, there are studies that suggest that we come here with our brains prepared for mathematics. (See the Internet article “Baby Brains are Hard-Wired for Math”)
But if “childhood” is too young for you to even conceive of teaching methods, then the answer most likely comes down to the following factors: your willingness to create meaningful activities; to encourage patience and your willingness to shed any expectation that your child will compute logarithms by age four.
An extremely important note before teaching your child anything related to math is that you be free of any lingering fears or apprehensions. Children can and will internalize their parents’ insecurities about most things, so build your confidence and enthusiasm before you broach the subject.
As stated above, an effective way to alleviate children’s anxiety about arithmetic is to start as early as possible; And what better way to start teaching a child the basics than to start counting numbers using the old tried and true manipulators… “fingers”?!
Start the counting lesson with one hand first. Create a game with lots of good energy, smiles and genuine laughter. Once you’ve mastered the first hand, move on to the next; increasing in number only as far as they can handle it. Remember to be patient and NEVER display damaging intensity in the form of yelling, screaming, or losing your temper when you trip. In this way, you are conveying the message during your education orientation that self-esteem need not suffer as a result of making a mistake. The errors are just an indicator of whether or not dominance has occurred. That is all! Keep in mind that you are introducing them to the “world of numbers” and the last thing you want to do is associate negative feelings with this other method of communication.
As your child learns to count to ten on her fingers, extend her fingers to count other items. Once again, make sure to keep it carefree and full of joy! These are the preschoolers we’re dealing with here…either you teach in a way that can reach them or you’ll have a rough road ahead!
Reinforce counting lessons with flashcards, number coloring books (big numbers), and software programs to reinforce basic concepts. Remember, these are tools in your educational arsenal and there is no substitute for one-on-one interaction. One game you may find was one I created with the useful use of tokens. I wrote a number on the front of an index card with a large black marker and designed a silly drawing or put a weird sticker on the back. I introduced this “new game” in my sharp and engaging tone and gave it a ridiculous name. I then explained how the game would be played in a way that they could understand.
For the first round, I showed the card, said the number clearly and concisely, and then convinced them to repeat it. When they did, I showed them the back of the card with bright smiles and lots of enthusiastic praise. Finally, my children were able to say or identify the numbers on their own. It got to his motivation to do well was to see a silly new sticker on the back…my animated expressions turned out to be a useful by-product.
Although you and your child may be tempted to continue, stop before the child signals because it creates excitement. It sets the stage for the anticipation of the next learning session. Once they have mastered identifying the numbers one through 10, finally move on to the goal of teaching children how to identify the spoken word with their printed identification.