sort the items. Have them explain
and describe their collection. Make
conversation by asking why another
item might not fit into the categories
they have created. “Would this one fit
here? Why not?”
Young children enjoy hearing
and learning names such
as cylinder and trapezoid. Encourage
the exploration of shapes beyond
conventional ones such as circles,
squares and triangles. Even if they
do not fully grasp the meaning and
characteristics, they become attuned
to the variety of spatial phenomena
in the world. It is also important to
give children diverse examples of
triangles and other shapes, not just
the equilateral triangle.
Create occasions for children to
see how shapes can transform. For
example, when cooking together, hold
the top end of a round dough ball,
and have your child pull the lower end
and see how the shape changes.
Simple tools to extend
observations
Provide conventional and
unconventional measuring devices,
and encourage your children to use
them to answer questions or solve
problems. Conventional devices
include rulers, tape measures, clocks,
kitchen timers or spring and balance
scales. Unconventional measuring
tools could be string or paper towel
tubes for length, sand timers for
duration, grocery bags for volume,
unmarked bags of clay or sand for
weight. Children can also develop
their own devices. When children ask
measurement-related questions like
“which is heavier?” or have disputes
about who is tallest in a group of
friends, ask them which of these tools
might help them arrive at an answer
or solution.
Recognise simple patterns
Children often spontaneously create
patterns in art and construction
projects. When they are busy
building, acknowledge their work
with a smile and a descriptive
statement such as, “I see a pattern
in your tower. First you used
two rectangles, then you used a
cylinder, and then you added two
more rectangles and a cylinder.” Or
“This reminds me of the Eiffel Tower.
It’s wide at the bottom and becomes
narrow at the top.”
Gather and interpret data in
practical ways
“How many bags of dog food do we
need to feed Tommy for one month?”
Focus on things of particular interest
to children, such as their bodies
(height, age, hair colour), animals and
nature (pets, objects they find outside),
the dimensions of things they build,
and what they and their friends like
and dislike (foods, favourite story
characters). For example, chart the
ingredients children like
best in trail mix, and use
the data to make snacks
in proportion to their
tastes.
Work collaboratively
with others
It's easy to create
opportunities for group
construction projects, such
as laying out a garden or
making a space for each
bed for a sleepover. These
often lead to situations
where children have
different opinions and
need to “measure” to find
out which solution
will work best. To
resolve the
differences of
opinion
encourage your children to reflect
on their arithmetic solutions rather
than telling them if they’re right
or wrong. If they get stumped or
arrive at erroneous answers, resist
the temptation to give the answer or
correct them. Instead, offer comments
or pose questions that encourage
them to rethink their solutions.
Positive experiences with using
mathematics to solve problems can
help children to develop curiosity,
imagination, flexibility, inventiveness
and persistence. These skills could
well contribute to their future success
– in school as well as in life.
