Invert Then Multiply: Everyday Math Examples for Kids

Let's just admit up front that many of us are not comfortable with higher math such as calculus or trigonometry. The fact is that math is truly a universal language whether we are comfortable with it or not. We use many math principles every day and don't really think of it as 'doing math'. We keep up with the average miles per gallon of gas usage for our cars. We budget for groceries and bills. We reconcile our checkbooks so we avoid those nasty overdraft fees. We keep scores and statistics in all of the sports. It is hard to find a game without math involved somehow. We estimate all matter of things in our jobs. We estimate the tip for our waiter. We count the days until retirement.

This is mathematics we are comfortable with. The unfortunate fact facing your young learner is that they are going to be required to take a few courses of higher math during their school years. As students, we had to take algebra and calculus but we survived; unfortunately, our leftover negativity toward math adversely affects how our young learners respond to math.

The fact is that if these young learners were not exposed to all the forms of math, then how would our nation find its next rocket scientists, engineers, and inventors? How proud would you feel if your child found the cure for cancer or designed the next efficient and clean fuel for automobiles? This is why it is important to allow the young learner to enter the exploration of math with an open mind.

To function mathematically means one needs to learn the mathematical languages, how charts or symbols explain ideas, and to understand the process of arriving at an answer. You can help your child learn not to fear math by asking him or her to explain what must be done to solve a problem. Reasoning ability in mathematics means thinking logically and being able to match similarities or point out differences in objects, amounts, or ideas.

For a simple teachable moment you can demonstrate math to your child by purchasing, or saving up for, a special item. Use those pennies and nickels and dimes you've been collecting in the piggy bank. Let your young learner pay for the item and then count the coins returned as change.

As a parent, you are in the perfect position to help your child build a foundation that will take the fear out of classroom math. As you choose the activities that involve the math functions you are comfortable with, such as the 'Little Piggy' rhyme used for counting toes, you should remember that helping a small child learn doesn't mean that the two of you can't laugh and have a good time together. What better reinforcement for a young learner than laughing while counting toes, clouds, bugs, coins, or toys.

For other math related ideas you can count pictures around the house, count stair steps, have fun with playing cards or dominoes, and cooking cookies in the kitchen. Older children with more elaborate hobbies can save earned money to use toward their hobby. Teach responsibility the old-fashioned way by having your older child do household chores for a weekly allowance.

Remember, young learners won't need the higher forms of math that so many of us are uncomfortable with; so the stress level for parents with basic math skills should not be too bad during this time.

The education policy makers in the United States have realized that our nation is far behind the other nations of our planet in high school graduates who are proficient at higher math functions. Math skills are a fundamental necessity in order to keep the United States strong in the world economy.

The educational system has found its routine: every year schoolchildren are presented with a balanced math curriculum including computation, estimation, geometry, probability, number theory, algebra, and graphing. Even at the elementary level to a limited extent! Each year instructional math material is presented in growing detail, and different teaching styles are tried in order to successfully convey the lesson to the students. Given reality of the formal education system, the best way for you to help your child to be a better math student in school is to give him or her a variety of math related experiences at home before he or she ever enters the classroom. Any time you can involve your child in any form of math you are helping him or her gain a sense of math, numbers, and reasoning. As well as a level of comfort with mathematics that should make first year algebra less scary. Common, routine, household activities offer a host of opportunities for a child to experience a variety of interesting math centered activities. Once you start noticing teachable moments, these opportunities will present themselves frequently. As your child ages you may even get an eager helper to aid with the household chores.

Even though countless studies indicate that parent-child interaction is best for influencing young learners, retail computer stores are full of inexpensive, educational software programs that will help your child with math. You should be nearby while your child uses the software offering help or praise as needed. Using software can serve two purposes; one is to expose the child to math without our prejudices tainting the experience, and secondly, it begins forming the computer skills that have replaced the basic calculator you and I used in school. Let the software do the training while allowing you to be supportive without stressing or letting your child sense your mathematical discomfort. Some math software programs use game-oriented programs to help with computation while others build problem solving. Look for games or programs that are both interesting to your child and cover a range of skills.

When you tend to the monthly bills, let your child see you use a calculator. When they ask what are you doing, take the time to explain it to them and say the numbers as you press them. Explain plus or minus as you push those keys as well.

Once, calculators were banned as aids and we had to do our calculations long hand. Do you remember a Slide Rule? We know the calculator is a tool, not a crutch; but where would we be without one? Children may as well learn how to use one as soon as an opportunity arises and most computers have calculator software. Using a calculator for simple problems can help your child understand the problem-solving process and facilitate computation. Later, when your child begins to use a calculator in the classroom, the device won't be a foreign tool but a familiar aid. Even with all the electronic tools available today, even in elementary school, understanding basic computation is still important.

Because elementary school math curriculum becomes more varied every year, you must find ways to help your child to be strong in basic math concepts before they enter the first grade. Each child deserves the chance to discover if they have what it takes to become the next 'math whiz' and that chance could start with some action as simple as counting aloud the toes of a smiling, cooing baby.

Remember, you are simply introducing them to numbers and small amounts, not prepping them for an academic challenge bowl. The first step is for children to learn what numbers mean and to identify them by name if not value. Young learners first need to learn that the number 3 means three buttons or three flowers or three cookies. Once this concrete concept is understood your child can begin to learn larger numbers.

Gradually begin to use larger numbers by adding to what your child already knows. Subtraction can be taught in the same way. Use what you have available whether you are in the city or the country. Most people have indoor potted plants or a window box for plants. You've already been teaching responsibility by having your young learner water and rotate the herbs you are growing for your cooking related teachable moments. If you have blooming flowers as your project then it's time to pick a few, put them into a vase, and decorate the table. Mix some math fun into the event. Ask counting questions related to the flowers. Ask questions such as, how many flowers were in the pot before we chose some for the vase. How many petals are on each flower? How many inches of water did we put into the vase for the cut flowers? How many days do you think will pass before the flowers wilt? Make a game of guessing the answers.

This is an example of showing your child how numbers are related to each other in a concrete demonstration. Addition and subtraction are very much related and used daily. Show the young learner that 4+1=5 and that 5-1=4 whether it is flower petals or chocolate chips. The core concept is that these three numbers are related in two different mathematical functions. Eventually they will begin to understand the concept even if they can't articulate the thought. Most likely neither you nor I could explain that concept to the child in a way he or she will understand, so leave that to the classroom math teacher.

Most of us have a bag of dry beans lying around the pantry. The day you decide to cook those beans set a few beans aside for a math related teachable moment. While the 'to be cooked' beans soak, take the few loose beans you set aside earlier and use them to demonstrate that 9 beans can be made into various groups of 5+4, or 6+3, or 7+2, or 8+1 or 3+3+3. No matter how the beans are grouped the total is still nine beans.

Lay 7 beans on the table and let your young learner divide them into two or three groups in as many ways as possible then count the various groupings. No matter the grouping there are still only seven beans. Unless you subtract a bean or two. When your child understands the concept of relativity, a cornerstone of foundation math skills has been developed.

Young children also need to learn comparisons and basic math skills long before the first grade or pre-school. If you have multiple children, pets, cars, or toys you are on the way to teaching comparison with tools easily at hand. Comparison is, of course, big, bigger, biggest, and so on. Comparison is easily illustrated with things common around the home, such as shoes, towels, or dinnerware, since your child can always see them and see the size differences.

While these examples of teachable moments seem to be stuck in the kitchen let's take advantage of that locale again. You probably have some blank recipe cards in the kitchen cabinet. Take some of those index sized recipe cards and draw different objects on them to illustrate big, tall, short. You can illustrate long with a dinner fork or a long handled iced-tea spoon and short can be illustrated with a toothpick or a salad fork. Just use items your child is familiar with around the home.

You can do the same exercise for simple shapes also. Rectangles, squares, circles, and triangles can be outlined while the young learn says the name of the shape. You can spell it out for the child. Twisty-ties, popsicle sticks, and other items can be used in creative ways to show basic math principles of addition and subtraction. Just don't let the toddlers and tots swallow any of your tools! Remember, playing cards show the numeral and the number of items the numeral represents. As children grow older, you can incorporate games with dice or play money and movement around a game board based on a dice roll or spinner of some sort.

Most young learners follow a series of steps in developing math skills and understanding concepts. Early on is the development of rote counting which is simple counting without understanding the value of the numbers, simply saying the sequential order of numbers. For very young learners this is a good chance to use a nursery rhyme like the 'Little Piggies' counting of toes. If you enjoy singing you can sing number songs to familiarize children with the numbers repeated in order. For older learners count the steps in the stairway. Progress to larger numbers as the child's skills grow.

Later in the growth process will come the development of meaningful counting which is counting and understanding that the numeral 2 represents two objects and the numeral 4 represents four objects. The grocery store is a good place for this exercise. If the child feels they are a part of the shopping experience they often enjoy the trip and do not become a disruption but rather a happy participant. A dozen eggs, an eight pack of hamburger buns, and ten pack of hot-dogs all offer grocery store math opportunities.

Over time the development of rational counting will come. This is counting and understanding that when you have counted the last item in a group, the last number said represents the total of the objects in the set. Once again the grocery store lets us maximize a teachable moment by counting how many cans of soup we bought this trip. How many dinner rolls are in the package? Use whatever the child likes in the shopping buggy and give them 'ownership' of the item for the rest of the in-store time. If the child has behaved well during the trip reward them as soon as you get home. Let them enjoy a treat while you put up the groceries and talk about the shopping experience.

Another math skill your young learner will need is that of classifying objects, which is placing things that go together in sets based on common qualities. Begin with objects that are similar yet different, like pennies and nickels or dimes. For another example, let your child use crayons and classify them by color or use a different color for the circles and squares on a coloring book page. Other good and fun sorting materials include, macaroni, candies, buttons, pebbles, or just about anything that might be lying in the junk drawer.

Another important skill is comparing objects, which is looking at objects to decide which one is bigger, smaller, darker, lighter, shorter, taller, etc.
With very young learners you can use the alphabet blocks for an exercise. You can easily make two different alphabet block towers and compare their height and count the number of blocks used to make each one. Maybe you can spell out a two or three or four letter word on each tower. Me. Dog. Love. Three common words used every day showing letters can both be counted and make words too!

Older learners who want to be big boys or big girls can compare the weights of the each family member. Maybe this could be the reason to go on a diet. Another idea is to use a pencil to mark siblings' heights once a month to compare who is growing faster.

After learning how to compare objects based on similarities and differences another necessary skill is ordering objects, which is placing objects in an orderly series using a guide such as size or value. Keep it simple and just use two objects at first, such as a well-used crayon and a new one. The short crayon goes first followed by the longer, newer crayon. Add objects slowly such as a medium size used crayon. You can use all sorts of objects for ordering based on size, weight, length, and thickness. There are other math related skills but these basic ones will provide a foundation for your young learner to be ready for the classroom. You can do many of these exercises in the routine course of your daily interaction with your child. You may have to delay a few phone calls or Instant Messages but as you enjoy the smiles of your child and see the fruits of your interaction, you should begin to miss having a phone glued to your ear and fingers glued to the keyboard a little less every time you make your child smile.

I'll close by reminding you that you do not have to be intimidated if you, as an adult, are weak in math. Keep it simple. Remember, in all of these examples, all you are really doing is demonstrating that math does not need to be feared and that we use some type of math everyday. You are building the foundation that will enable your child to navigate successfully through all the math classes they will take during their formal education process. Pre-school mathematical teachable moments will at least expose them to math fundamentals demonstrating everyday relevance and usage.