Number Games?

[JulieSherris]

Gail had the parent/teacher meeting this week & left with mixed emotions somewhat.....

Little Leah is lucky in that she is one of 7 in her year - she is in Senior Infants & they share a classroom & teacher with the junior infants - there's 7 of them as well.....

Over here, you can start your child at school anywhere from 4 yrs to 6 yrs.... so some of Leah's classmates have turned 7 already & she turned 6 in January. She's even younger than some of the kids in the junior class, but she was well ready to start school when she did.

Anyway..... on her reading score, she is 2 years ahead
We've never seemed to go through the stilted monosyllablic reading sessions - it seems that one day she learnt a few 3 letter words & now she'll sit & read the local classified paper
'Mummy, lady newts have smaller spots' - 'Where did you learn that?' 'I've been reading my dictionary'.......

Writing - well, she's left handed, as is the teacher's son, so she's not marked down for occasional messy writing, or backward letters & she's ahead by 14 months on spelling skills.

But maths...... she's actually ok for her AGE... but she's a bit behind the rest of her year.... if you ask her to add 7 & 5, she'll count out the first 7 on her fingers first - where the older kids will start with 7 & count out the next 5... if you see what I mean.
So... Gail was advised to make up a few numbers games & encourage her that way.

Any ideas anyone? I get her to count eggs & count the total feathery things, but we need something a bit more structured I think.
Any & all advice welcomed

[becks77]

Hi Julie,

My girls struggled with math, but we were able to get some simple math flash cards (I think they were Early learning centre) with very easy sums on both sides and just practice a little everyday.
Middle daughter is still not strong on math, she'd rather be playing her piano or writing her novels, but is up to speed enough to have taken her GCSE early by 2 years.
But Leah sounds like she's doing fine, esp in her reading and writing.

Hope all goes well

[crowsashes]

maybe shes the kind to need physical ways to learn math rather than just a bit of paper?

get some bricks out and use them to help her do her maths simple adding and subtracting, you might even find she races ahead this way and you could introduce basic divison!

my little brother is dyslexic and struggles with most written work but ive found showing him how to do maths like this ( how i did back in the late 80's early 90's) with physical things to add and take away makes it all make sense as they can see the pile of seven brick and can see what happens if you take five away or add another five!

hope i helps.

[JulieSherris]

Thanks for the suggestions so far - I just realised that the bottle-holding child next door turned 7 in december... and only started school in september, so the actual age of the kids in the first few years is a bit random & I guess you are bound to have a few anomalies anyway......

I already play with the chook numbers....
we have 7 mini chicks & mama cass in one pen.... in the big house, we have 5 ducks, 4 muscovies, 2 roosters, 3 guineas etc etc ... you see where I'm going & the different combinations we have made up.... but she sees straight through me, & wanders off in complete disdain!

I will try the physical thing with her though - I could use eggs instead of bricks though, I have LOADS of those!!
Hey, I'm heading for a mass quiche cook off, so maybe she could help divide the eggs & ingredients... now here's a plan coming!

[Mrs Moustoir]

How about card games? We play pontoon/21s with our son (age 7) and he is really quick at adding up now - especially to 21!

The good thing about this is that it isn't obviously "educational" and the whole family can join in. I do wonder if we are raising him to be a card "sharp" as my Dad used to call them as he does like winning and beating his older sister!

No gambling involved, of course.

[Millymollymandy]

- where the older kids will start with 7 & count out the next 5...

I still do!!! I can't add in my head for toffee, can do it if I write it down though. Thank god for calculators!

[red]

board games.. with two dice, its fun, and adding is required


junior monopoly is good too

you can buy (or make) sums dominos.

unfortunately, learning those number bonds is something you just have to slog at.

[JulieSherris]

Loving the suggestions here!

I guess part of the problem is that I 'see' numbers instantly - you know I can solve quadratic equations sometimes just by looking - for Uni level maths, the hardest part was showing my workings - sometimes there weren't any!!

Hubby has a number of methods that he still uses at work - but when he shows us, it's just so damn confusing.... do you really need hand gestures at the age of 50 to work out the 11 times table?

I'll certainly try Pontoon - she has a fantastic memory, so I'm hoping that a few repetitive exercises & things might start to click. She also told us why she wanted the cardigan with the pockets as well.... it's so she can count on her fingers so the other kids can't see her!!

[Millymollymandy]

Ah that might explain how you find the woodworking so easy as it involves maths with all those angles and stuff.

[jim]

Dear Julie Sherris,

How about teaching her to play crib? Does wonders for number bonds and mental addition, not to mention pattern recognition and varying combinations.

Good preparation for going to the pub too!

Love and Peace
Jim

[Mrs Moustoir]

You're right jim - I love crib too.

Darts is another one (although you might want to go for the sticky version rather than the pointy darts. ). My OH is brilliant at adding up the scores at darts - all those years playing in the pub teams of some use then.

[Keaniebean]

What about using money as some incentive to learn. I don't mean large amounts but if she can tell you how many Euros ( I think you are Euros, sorry if that's a bit dim) you are holding in one hand and how many you have in the other hand she gets to keep them. Play games which involve adding. Then you could play games which involve counting how many she has every few weeks or so.

I still use a calculator, my maths is abismal.

[jim]

Dear Juliesheris,

Try this web site .....

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/math_puzzles/index.html

Lots of good stuff there!

Love and Peace
Jim

[JulieSherris]

Thanks Jim!
I'll have to learn how to play Crib myself before I can teach Leah... my nan was into gin rummy, so I'm a whizz at that though!!

I've quite a few ideas now - all we have to do is put it all into practice - Thanks all! xx