There is hardly anything more dichotomous than people’s opinions on mathematics as a subject. While some absolutely love arithmetic, others steer clear of anything to do with numbers. However, many children develop a negative perception of the subject as a result of faulty teaching patterns they are exposed to early on. If schools and teachers walk the extra mile in helping children to grasp the subject, they can not only prevent this math phobia from setting in but also strengthen the foundation for the years to come. Here are some math concepts that kindergarten schools may teach their students:
Some Basic Math Concepts for Your Kindergarten Classroom
One, Two, Three…Count With Me!
The building blocks to strong arithmetic skills are counting and learning the chronology of numbers. And since any concept instantly becomes more interesting when combined with music, it helps to teach students counting with the help of nursery rhymes like “one, two, buckle my shoe…”. Guide them to look beyond their books and count the everyday objects around them, whether it is the trees in the campus or the cookies left in their tiffin-boxes!
Rudiments of Geometry: “Shaping” a Child’s Math Skills
From their maths notebooks to the pizzas they binge on, every object at a child’s disposal has some shape or the other. Defining the shapes of specific objects can help them to grasp the names of each shape better. Kindergartens in Singapore and other major cities incorporate geometry as an extremely significant part of their curricula. It works to provide students with innovative activities like cutting out shapes and assembling them to resemble specific objects, or even tracing and labelling shapes to understand what each one looks like.
‘Sorting’ Things Out
Sorting objects based on different categories like shapes, sizes and colours is an essential skill that can help children to perform other mathematical operations in the future. For example, sorting objects can help them to better understand how patterns are formed, thus enabling them, in the future, to sort numbers based on concepts such as odd and even, prime and composite etc.
One Level Up: Basic Addition and Subtraction
While teaching kindergarten children, parents and teachers often find it challenging to escalate from counting and numerals to more complex concepts like addition and subtraction. However, pushing the envelope a bit and introducing these concepts at an early age can immensely strengthen a child’s mathematical foundation. Teachers may do so using innovative yet simple techniques like providing them with two stars first and then one more, and asking them to count the number of stars to three. Strategies like these help to introduce concepts better while also avoiding information overload.
Conclusion
While maths may initially seem rather intimidating, it is, in fact, an intriguing and fascinating world in itself. Befriending numbers early on can help children to develop strong arithmetic skills for the future. And premier international schools ensure that their students begin their mathematical journeys on the right note.
