Why do you need to teach kids maths?  Well math is everywhere, it’s inescapable, so you’d better prepare your child for the oncoming world of numbers that will hit them when they reach school.  So how do you teach kids maths?   You could charge right in and start writing numbers down, get them to recognize these numbers, then attempt to relate these numbers to other numbers.  You may have to tie your kid up whilst doing it though, as their body will try to wander away, much the same as their mind will be doing.

Teach Kids Maths With Educational Toys

What many people don’t realize is that mathematical concepts kick into life far earlier than numbers, and if you can keep the secret, it can also be fun.  So let’s look at five ways of to teach kids maths and keeping it fun.
1. Sport.  Throw a ball in the air, and let a computer analyze where it will land. The computations necessary are mind blowing.  The trajectory, the speed, the density of the ball, wind resistance and spin all need to be continually processed to get a decent result.

Throw a ball to a child and their brain will be doing the same thing. An instant process to teach kids maths!  Is your child too young to catch?  So roll a ball, and let them roll it back.  Do it on a slope to make it even more interesting. Gross motor activities improve brain function – there have been countless studies to prove this.

2. Building Blocks. Spatial awareness is one of the key concepts to training your brain for maths, so to teach kids maths make sure your child has some blocks.  “Will this block fit onto these ones?  If I put one on top here will it fall over?  Do I have enough blocks to build this house?”  The answer doesn’t matter, it’s the questioning, followed by the experimentation, followed by the analysis, then making the necessary alterations, and doing it all over again.  Each step is like a little science experiment, and they’re learning all the way.

3.  Puzzles. Another spatial awareness skill builder, but this time in 2D instead of 3D, and a completely different way of thinking.  “Will this piece fit here?  No?  OK, I’d better try another.  OK, I’ve now tried all of them, and none of them fit, why?  Maybe if I turn it upside down?  Maybe if I turn the board around?  What if I twist the piece around a little bit?  Ahh, now I get it!”   Do you?

4.   Sorting. Visual discrimination. Another important tool to teach kids maths. Grab a bunch of beads, or buttons, or shells, anything where some have similarities and some have differences. Get them to sort then into groups.  You’ll be amazed at some of the thinking that goes into these groups.  (OK, we’re talking maths here, but ask them why they sorted those shells with these shells, and you’re building some great language skills too).  Get them to count how many are in each group.  All of a sudden you have numbers, but in a fun concrete way,  not boring squiggles on a piece of paper.

5.   Board games. Anything basic that requires dice.  Snakes and Ladders is a classic. Your child will soon learn what dice roll they need to avoid the snake or they have to slither down the ladder!   They’ll be doing addition and subtraction in their heads without realising it – a really easy way to teach kids maths.

Your children may eventually become aware of your sneaky methods of teaching them these skills, but if they’re like me, it won’t be until they are writing something like this, 30 years later and the light dawns that they too were tricked into learning.

It’s OK Mum, I forgive you, and thanks for the help.