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Reply to "Is there a downside to doing a little bit of supplementing at home? (mostly math question)"
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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I had a mathy kid. I think you should encourage a child’s interests, but keep in mind that the more a child is accelerated, the more problems you’ll have later with the disparity between your child’s level and what the school teaches. It’s better, when possible, to try to focus on enrichment rather than acceleration. I wouldn’t worry too much about not doing math the school’s way. The whole point of whatever process the school is using is to make it easier for the kid to understand math. It is supposed to be a helpful intermediary step toward the goal of understanding the relevant mathematical principle, not the goal itself. As long as you make sure the child really understands the math, you’re accomplishing the goal. Once the child understands the underlying math, they’ll be able to easily pick up whatever process the school uses as a heuristic, although it may seem silly and/or needlessly complicated. Here are some ideas for math things he might enjoy: Hoagies is a great resource that has links to enrichment for all ages and subjects. https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/links.htm Play games. They almost always have a math component (keeping score, making moves, etc.) and encourage logical thinking. Some, like Sleeping Queens and Monopoly, incorporate math more directly. Teach him about money and consider giving an allowance. I think learning about money is one of the best things to teach kids about math. It teaches addition, subtraction, place value, regrouping, and introduces multiplication. (I used a 10x10 grid to help teach money, let me know if you’d like more details.) Teach him how to tell time on an analog watch (they make some designed for learning). https://www.amazon.com/kids-teaching-watch/s?k=kids+teaching+watch Cooking is excellent for fractions. For added challenge, you could have him double or halve recipes. It can also be a great way to introduce other subjects too. Here’s an amazing post I read once on DCUM about how a parent uses cooking as an enrichment experience as her kids grow. I wish I’d read it when my kids were younger, but it’s a great illustration of how there are learning opportunities everywhere. (08/04/2020 11:44) https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/901600.page Crafts can be great for math. Give him a tape measure and/or a timer. You can introduce him to the Guiness Book of World Records and then challenge him to set his own, personal records (how far can he jump, how fast can he run across the yard, etc.) Logic puzzles are great. He might enjoy Sudoku or Magic Squares. Here is a book introducing Magic Squares. https://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Magic-Squares-Step...nto-Reading-Step/dp/0375806210 The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives lets kids play with and explore math concepts online. http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html Cyberchase is a PBS show that is great about introducing kids to math concepts. While their focus has changed, you can find the earlier math seasons here: https://pbskids.org/cyberchase/videos/?selectedID=...5c-0ec9-4490-9f88-7890cfb1689a The Sir Cumference books by Cindy Neuschwander are great for introducing geometry concepts. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cindy-Neuschwander/a...rue&shoppingPortalEnabled=true A verbal game called buzz is great for practicing most math concepts. You pick a pattern and then start counting, substituting the word buzz for words that fit the pattern. To make it more interesting you can combine rules. Ex. Numbers with 2s: 1, buzz, 3, 4, . . . , 11, buzz, 13, . . . , 19, buzz, buzz, buzz, . . . , 30, 31, buzz, 33, etc. You can combine rules. Ex. Odd numbers and numbers with 2s: Buzz, buzz, buzz, 4, . . . , 10, buzz, buzz, buzz, 14, . . . , 18, buzz, buzz, buzz, . . . , 30, buzz, buzz, buzz, 34, buzz, 36, etc. As your child gets older you can use other patterns for buzz: multiples, perfect squares, primes, Fibonacci numbers, etc. [/quote] Thanks for the ideas![/quote]
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