K-3: Outside! |
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Math anxiety is reduced when children become comfortable with questions.
"Wondering" kinds of questions teach children that some questions don't have quick answers, and they can be part of finding them - just by using their brain!
They also learn that some questions are better answered after we gather data.
Make use of children's natural curiosity, and joy outside.
Watch the world with them, through their eyes, and guide the explorations to things they've wondered about.
Look up, out, and beyond. Math helps answer big questions, not just mundane ones.
Let the spirit of inquiry be a comfortable and joyous one - not a chore!
It's okay to let them struggle to find their own answers, their own way, in their own time.
It's important for children to feel comfortable with hard questions, and not to feel the need for fast answers. |
Heading out on excursions with your child - long ones or short ones - are thrilling for your child, and a great time to discover and deepen math connections. And there are so many ways to do it. Children's questions and ideas lead in countless directions. Follow their lead, follow their questions, and come up with some interesting projects and investigations. One of the most important things children need to learn, to succeed in mathematics, is to "put their brain around a problem" - not just to follow procedures blindly, but to actively think their way through problems. Parents are in the best position to teach this: We have time, we don't need to follow any particular curriculum, and we have only our own children to guide, not a classroom of kids. Parent and child can take their time, and discover their own way. In this environment, children build confidence, skills, and comfort with not having an immediate path to a solution. They discover that math is about thinking - not just doing. Some ideas: 1. Watch. Sit on your back step, or a park bench. Watch birds, or people, or cars. As you observe, ask questions that require more observation, categorization, and comparison. Examples: How many birds visit the feeder, (how many people or cars pass by) in a ten minute period? Categorize them and keep a tally (big/small; male/female; adult/child; truck/taxi/car). 2. Pose problems that require investigating. How many gallons of water in the bathtub or birdbath or wading pool? If it fills in 'x' minutes, what is the rate of flow into it? Which birds eat the most? Which are the most popular cars? How many stars can we count at dusk, and how many an hour later, two hours later? Are they in the same place? 3. Measure. In international tests, American students are weakest in measurement. But measuring things is great fun to a young child, especially if she has her own, grown-up tools to measure with. Buy her her own tape measure, and set her off to discover lengths and relationships. Get measuring tools that use both metric, as well as standard American measures. Have her measure heights and lengths using both systems of measurement. Ask questions that use this data, and require some thought, as well. How much taller are you than brother? How big is your arm, compared to your body? How big is my arm compared to my body? Is there a common ratio (fraction) between these two measurements? 4. GARDEN! Kids love to garden, whether it's beans on a wet paper towel on the windowsill, or their own plants in pots, or in a garden. The possibilities for projects are endless, from how fast things grow, to how tall, to how many. Rainfall and temperature can be observed and measured. Ask questions that pique their interest, and require some thinking and observing and quantifying to solve.
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