Math options for young child

[Anonymous]

My 5yr old is obsessed with math. I’ve been doing some at home with him; he can do basic algebra (graphing functions; linear inequalities; factoring quadratic equations) and particularly loves number theory (sequences, patterns, prime numbers; does not get the concept of a proof, that’s abstraction beyond where he is at). We are in DC proper, and I don’t expect his school to support this level of math in a rising K.

I’m not looking for tutoring or anything like intense drilling. I just want to find some structure to support this love of math in a fun way for him, knowing the math he will get at school won’t be as interesting to him. I saw American has a math club for kids that looks like something he’d love, but it’s for older children. Curious if anyone knows of fun math classes or activities or programs that a 5yr old could join that would be at the right level for him.

[Anonymous]

Wow! I bet he keeps you on your toes. I had trouble keeping up with my mathy daughter’s interests, and your son is considerably more advanced than my daughter was. We just enriched her at home and once she was in the magnet program, they were able to keep her engaged. I can recommend some resources for enrichment at home, but the programs I’ve only heard about and have no direct experience with.

I’d go ahead and contact the math club at American to check with them directly. Assuming your son’s behavior isn’t disruptive, if he’s able to handle the math, the age might be flexible. Even if they won’t accept him, they might have some recommendations for a group that would be a better fit for him.

I think the American math club is what’s known as a circle. Here’s the wikipedia page about math circles, it might help you find other circles if the one from AU doesn’t work out. I’m not sure, but I think there might be virtual math circles online, maybe that could be an option for your son.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_circle

John’s Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) has programs in different subjects for gifted kids. I suspect your son’s math level may be above the programming they generally offer to his age group, but since their focus is on gifted children, they might be used to accommodating those type of variations in ability.
https://cty.jhu.edu/

I’ve heard a lot of great things on DCUM about Beast Academy and Art of Problem Solving. I think it’s supposed to teach kids how to approach complex problems and may be a good preparation for high school math tests.
https://artofproblemsolving.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqyBMa7Jq4dZygwixePVcnljo2RXY5vh2BGeiKbh70qxfxcB9of

I think the Davidson Institute offers some resources and programming for gifted kids, but I know very little about it.
https://www.davidsongifted.org/

(I’m having trouble posting, so I’m trying to split it up and will try to post the other resources separately.)

[Anonymous]

Well, I got this far, but it won’t let me post the rest yet, so I’ll try posting another chunk. Here’s part 2:

Now, for the resources I’m more familiar with:

Hoagies is a fantastic resource on all things related to giftedness and also has links to enrichment websites for all subjects and ages. Here are some math links that I think would be helpful:
https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/math.htm
I don’t know if he can read yet, but here are some math books that might be of interest. Theoni Pappas wrote some great books for kids featuring “Penrose the Cat” which explore some peripheral math concepts that probably wouldn’t come up in a standard math curriculum. (The one my daughter had was Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales.)
https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/mathematics.htm

Here are some Problems of the Week he might enjoy:
Saint Ann's School (Does provide answers)
https://sites.google.com/a/saintannsny.org/problem-of-the-week/
Princeton Friends School (Does not come with answers)
https://www.princetonfriendsschool.org/academics/problem-of-the-week.cfm

The Mind Your Decisions Youtube channel presents and explains brainteasers and math problems with a range of difficulty levels.
https://m.youtube.com/@MindYourDecisions

Set is a game that focuses on patterns. While there is a card based version, the creators also have a daily puzzle online.

He might enjoy the game 24. While the math wouldn’t be difficult for him, the trick is to use basic operations on a set of random playing cards to reach the total of 24. I used to have a link to a website with an online solitaire version, but the link stopped working. You can probably find another or an app. Here's a basic description of it in it's original card game version:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_(puzzle)
(for some reason, I’m having trouble with the link. If Wikipedia asks if you mean 24 (puzzle)?, just select that option.)

[Anonymous]

The Mathemagician Arthur Benjamin is a lot of fun and has lots of videos on YouTube. He’s a math professor at Harvey Mudd and performs mental math - “mathemagic”, while explaining some of the principles. If your son is interested in mental math, it’s a good place to start, and even if he’s not interested, the performances are still entertaining.
https://m.youtube.com/results?search_query=arthur+benjamin+mathemagician&sp=mAEA

He might like the Zoombinis computer game. While not strictly about arithmetic, it involves a lot of logic and patterns. My kids played the original desktop version, but I think there are apps now.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoombinis

I only discovered the Global Math Project website recently, so I’m not as familiar with it, but you might find something useful on it.
https://globalmathproject.org/about/


Some other topics you might introduce him to:

Programming - Scratch is a language designed by MIT to teach kids how to code. Although it was intended for older kids, there’s a simplified version (Scratch, Jr) for younger kids, but I have no idea which might be better for your son.
https://scratch.mit.edu/parents

Secret Codes - If his reading skills are up to it, he might enjoy secret codes. The Third-Grade Detective series of books features kids using various secret codes to solve mysteries. Although any math involved at this level would be very basic, it features patterns, and cryptography can get very mathematical.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3rd+grade+detectives&crid=1NM2995C7YSAI&sprefix=3rd+grade+dete%2Caps%2C70&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_14

Binary and other numbering systems that aren’t base 10

Modular arithmetic/clock math/string art

origami - PBS had a documentary, Between the Folds, which might be too dry for him, but showed some amazing applications of advanced origami techniques in art and engineering.
https://www.amazon.com/Between-Folds-Vanessa-Gould/dp/B003DQ6I2C

fractals

It sounds like you and your son have embarked on a grand adventure - good luck, have fun, and enjoy the ride.

[Anonymous]

Part 4:

You have everything now, except for a verbal math game called Buzz. I don’t know why it wouldn’t post, especially since I’ve posted it before. The nice thing about Buzz is that it can be adapted to any level. If you’re interested, you can find the description in this other post (05/04/2024 22:29)

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1203214.page

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much! This is all so helpful, and I really appreciate. And yes, he definitely has me dusting off things I haven’t thought about since high school.