Math and Young Children

In the Exchange article, "Math Talk With Young Children: One Parent’s Experience,” now available in the “Exchange Ideas for You – Free!” section of our web site at www.ChildCareExchange.com, Fred Gross offers these observations about teaching math to young children…

"As young children begin to explore their world, they are curious and ask questions about many things, including mathematics.  Entering into a math conversation with young children can enrich learning and reveal some original ideas for adults and children alike.  Young children have inquisitive minds and think about the world in interesting ways.  They have unique ways of describing phenomena and using their imagination to explore their own ideas.  All this experience adds up to a personal sense of mathematics….

"So how does a teacher or parent engage a child in a meaningful conversation that brings out and builds on this considerable mathematical experience?  To guide these types of conversations effectively, we adults must enter the world of the young child.…

"We often give our young children an abundance of paper-pencil or flashcard arithmetic problems to solve, in well-intentioned efforts to work on math with them.  However, this engages them in an isolated process with little meaning, where the goal is to memorize a procedure or an answer.  Studying anything in isolation can take away some of the creative aspects of making sense of and understanding concepts or procedures.  Mathematics contains so many opportunities for creativity — in the study of number relationships, patterns, and logic…"

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