My 6 year old loves working on Khan Academy on our computer and tablet. They have videos that teach math skills and the kids answer math questions in a fun we. We do it together as a family and he also watches the videos and practices what he's learned while I work next to him. He really enjoys it much more than doing math worksheets. He easily can spend over an hour doing practice questions.

I have a first grader who naturally is really interested in numbers, so we end up doing lots of math enrichment, but avoid things like worksheets. His four year old brother gets a big dose of it too. They both are really into it, have great number sense, and now seek out math - but it's because it's all fun to them.

We play games with real money, ask them to figure out how many more minutes until bedtime, lots of math riddle word problems at the dinner table, cards and other games, cooking, etc. After reading, when we cuddle in bed, sometimes we'll do more riddles or skip counting challenges. They now see math as a fun puzzle and seek it out. I'd drop the worksheets and try to find activities that you can do together that get her to think of math as fun again (or just drop it for awhile).

I'm a secondary math teacher and strongly suggest you let your kindergartener play. So many students hate math. Please don't push worksheets at an early age. I do math enrichment naturally at home with cooking, because I love to cook, or with money with my older child because he's very interested (banking, interest, investing). You have some great play based suggestions above if you want to supplement but let her be a kid.

Anonymous wrote:

If you really think you "need" to step up the instructional time, then I would suggest incentivizing. Sticker chart with a sticker for every completed page. When you reach a certain number of stickers, you get a certain reward.

OMG, no.

OP, you've gotten some great play-based suggestions.

listen to 12:01!

Anonymous wrote:The card game sleeping queens is great for addition and fun to play.

My kids loved Sleeping Queens when they were little. Also Rat-A-Tat Cat (both GameWright games)

I like to keep "workbooks" handy. Two or three times a week I throw them onto the kitchen table with a stack of plain paper. The kids get a box of colored pencils. If they want to do worksheets, great. If they would rather practice writing, great. If they just want to color, fine. I am available if they need help with the directions on their workbooks. I try to get the ones with a variety of activities so they do not get bored. And, honestly, they finish a workbook at least once a month.

We also implemented the rule that any screen time during the school week must be educational. I have a younger child, so we still do Leap Frog videos. We also have some Kid Science Documentaries, etc. They don't get them every night, but if they do, it has to fit the "educational" bill.

We also love all the various games mentioned, reading aloud, and more "in the moment" learning.

If you really think you "need" to step up the instructional time, then I would suggest incentivizing. Sticker chart with a sticker for every completed page. When you reach a certain number of stickers, you get a certain reward.

Finally, have you spoken with a teacher at the school for ideas of what you could do specifically outside of the classroom to reinforce or forge ahead a bit? They might have a suggestion.

You're pushing it the wrong way. Let her ENJOY math and see how useful it is in the real world. Kindergarten was when I started my kids in allowance - they used to BEG to "play math with money" and we could sit on my bed for an hour doing math with coins, paper and pen.

Do recipes, compare prices at stores, use colored chalk on the driveway and "Run to the number after three! Now run to the number you'd get if you added two more to three!" Learn through play, OP. Learn. Through. Play.

Anonymous wrote:There are so many games that require math skills that don't feel like math at all -- play them!

Almost all card games are math based.
Zingo
Games that use rolled dice are math based.
Monopoly Junior is dice and money.
Backgammon and chess and mancala
Set and Quirkle and other games with patterns
Jenga and other spacial games
Rush Hour and Castle Logic and other puzzle solving games
Equate
Soduko
Shut the Box
Make seven and connect 4
Mastermind
Risk
Rubik's cube
kanoodle
tangrams and qbitz


All of this is a much better way to grow your child's math brain without turning them off to math proper.

+1. These are great recommendations! Also, it makes math fun unlike worksheets which can backfire.

You can have a lot of enrichment without worksheets. Learning an instrument, playing games like chess, etc will enrich your child's life and teach an activity that will make her happy throughout her life. No reason a k'er should be spending time doing worksheets after school.

The card game sleeping queens is great for addition and fun to play.
My kids loved the PBS show Cyberchase.
You might find some fun math links on Hoagies:

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/math.htm

Anonymous wrote:I think "really crappy" is an overstatement. She basically spends all day at school having snacks, recess, and socializing. Worksheets may not be super fun and may be a bad idea but 15 minutes of worksheets a few times a week is hardly "really crappy."

This. If the school would just be a bit more rigorous with math then no parents would feel the need to add worksheets after school.

I think "really crappy" is an overstatement. She basically spends all day at school having snacks, recess, and socializing. Worksheets may not be super fun and may be a bad idea but 15 minutes of worksheets a few times a week is hardly "really crappy."

Good lord, that sounds really crappy for your child. Let her watch an episode of Team Umizoomi or do some math games on the iPad.

She's at school until 6pm. Give her a break when she gets home!

There are a million ways to incorporate math into your daily life and into fun games. Throw away the worksheets. Let her explore her world. She'll learn.

There are so many games that require math skills that don't feel like math at all -- play them!

Almost all card games are math based.
Zingo
Games that use rolled dice are math based.
Monopoly Junior is dice and money.
Backgammon and chess and mancala
Set and Quirkle and other games with patterns
Jenga and other spacial games
Rush Hour and Castle Logic and other puzzle solving games
Equate
Soduko
Shut the Box
Make seven and connect 4
Mastermind
Risk
Rubik's cube
kanoodle
tangrams and qbitz


All of this is a much better way to grow your child's math brain without turning them off to math proper.