I am the owner of Little Maths since the birth of my son nearly 5 years back. Life was so hectic and chaotic - I never got the chance to use it. Now live is smooth, I have time, he is really interested in learning.
BrillKids says, that Little Maths can be used from 6 months to 6 years. I wanted to ask if you have any suggestions to use Little Maths with him now. I already uploaded German language and really fun icons he will love (Paw Patrol, Super Wings, Robocar Poli). Of course, we will use many manipulatives apart from that.
My son can already count to 30, from 10 backwards, does now the numerals from 0 to 5 very good and from 6 to 10 okay.
Many people think that young kids will learn the conceptual foundations of math through spontaneous play - songs, games, playing with blocks, etc. Research shows that doesn’t happen. Kids need systematic instruction on the concepts to get it. Here’s a quote from an article in Science:
[People] often believe they are “doing mathematics†[with young children] when they provide puzzles, blocks, and songs. Even when they teach mathematics, that content is usually not the main focus, but is embedded in a fine-motor or reading activity. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that such an approach is ineffective, owing to a lack of explicit attention to mathematical concepts and procedures along with a lack of intentionality to engage in mathematical practices (p. 968).
Other research shows that kids who don’t have a solid foundation in what is called “number sense” by the time they finish kindergarten (or better yet, before they enter kindergarten) will have a much harder time in the mainstream math curriculum than kids who do. Here’s another quote from the same paper:
…preschool children’s knowledge of mathematics predicts their later school success into elementary and even high school.