cupcakes to bring to school for my
birthday tomorrow.”
You could reply, “Well, there are
sixteen children and two teachers,
plus your daddy and brother will be
here. How can we figure out how
many cupcakes he’ll need to bring?”
You can pose measurement
challenges that children will be
motivated to solve. For example, “I
wonder how many cups of soil it will
take to fill the pot?” Wait for your
child to answer. Then count as you
start filling and, if her answer falls
short, ask, “How many more?” If he
is drawing a train track, try asking
“How many more pieces of track will
you need to close the circle?”
If your child is good at recognising
two-dimensional shapes, take the
opportunity to give him or her
experiences with three-dimensional
shapes, which can allow them to
focus their attention on geometrical
features. For example, explore the
connection between the motion of a
rolling pin (3D) and a circle (2D).
Use living creatures and nature
as examples
Let children see changes in
their own bodies, for instance,
measuring themselves as they get
taller or observing the growth of a
flower. Although they are often unable
to identify the reason accurately,
young children do make tentative
guesses, both right and wrong, about
the changes they see. For example,
“I’m five today. That means I’m
taller.” Or, “The flower grew up
because the wind blew on it from the
bottom.”
Give your children scenarios
and encourage them to predict the
outcome, record their predictions
and then compare them with the
results. This can be a fun game! You
could offer your child a small pitcher
of water and tell him how much it
weighs. Then have him lift the cat and
guess if it is lighter or heavier, then
put the cat on the scales and measure
its weight. Whether it was more, less
or the same as his prediction, he’ll
be thinking and the two of you will
be relating to each other while also
making mathematical connections.
Call children’s attention to cycles
in nature by pointing out the seasonal
variations in your backyard plants or
the changing weight of clothing from
summer to winter.
Observing characteristics
and properties
Encourage your children to make
collections of natural objects they
bring home from school or the
neighbourhood. Provide containers
(bowls, boxes, baskets) for them to
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