Hi I have been using the little maths program with my two year old for 6 months for a few months and he loves it… I would like to add on to his maths program but don’t know where to start… So many programs out there and I have just gotten confused…rights start? Singapore maths? Jones G ? Kumon? What are your kids using? What works for this age group? I am currently leaning towards the right start program but am not too sure…help…
Gaya
Well, where is your son currently with math and what type of math do you guys do outside of Little Math?
Are you in the US, or somewhere else? (I know a few programs are available in Britain/the UK, for example that would be too costly to get in the United States)
I always recommend Marshmallow Math as a compliment to Little Math once you get closer and closer to the toddler stage. But there are other things out there, or you could probably get all those activities off of websites, but I think a nice physical book, with the order and scope all in one place, is a great and powerful reference.
What do you like about Right Start? What about the other programs? For example, will your boy learn well from manipulatives or will they serve as a greater distraction? Will you be able to connect it back to the math from the screen?
Some little kids do better with the worksheet because when they see it, they recognize “This is math work!” and because they like or are interested in math, they can pay attention. Some kids see a manipulative and think “This is a toy!” and depending on how your kids love toys and how well you can direct their attention, some times getting them to use the manipulative as intended can be as near to impossible as you can get. It varies from kid to kid, but I know one little boy who needs only ‘dry’ or ‘uninteresting’ programs because if its too colorful, too fun looking, then he expects to have fun with it every second that he is in contact with the program and having to use it as ‘work’ becomes too much.
Does your son have any writing ability at all? Will he be content to let you write for him, or will he want to write all his replies himself?
It is nearly impossible to recommend anything to you for your son without more information about your situation.
Hi mumtobe, thanks for the questions… it really made me thinking deeper about what i wanted. Firstly, i am in Malaysia . My son is able to count till 50 quite easily. Apart from Little Maths , i have also been using my own flash cards. He is able to recognise quantities till 20. There are days he is very receptive and other days he just doesn’t care. i have introduced the abacus to him because that is how i was taught maths. Kumon is really big in asian countries and i was a kumon student myself but i dont know if i wanted such a left brain method for my son this early on.
to be honest with you i really dont know what to introduce to him next. he seems to want more and i am at lost with all the different programs out there?
I would explore Kumon, I know many people who absolutely adore the Kumon pre-writing and early writing. I have never used them myself, but I have heard the praises of these books sung by many people. Since Kumon is common in your area, then I would investigate this option and their competitors.
I’m not saying to enroll him in Kumon, but I would look into some of the materials available in my area.
I think I would take a 2-pronged approach to my sons math education at this point.
1: Mathematics:
Can your son skip count? Does he know 1-1 correspondence, does he know what it means to add, subtract, multiply and divide? Can he read numerals? I would begin to work on those issues and I would probably begin to use Marshmallow Math with my son. If he is counting and recognizing quantities, then it is a good idea to begin teaching him arithmetic and I would use the outline provided in MM to get started. Teach him to add and subtract by 1, 2, 3 etc all the way to ten. The soroban is a great tool and many parents are exposing their kids to it. But many parents don’t get far because they can’t use it fluently. If you can use the abacus well, then I would lean on that.
2: Handwriting
I would begin working on his handwriting ability. You can print many pages offline for free or you can buy a book or you can do both. I would simply make it a part of the day. I would require that he spend 5 minutes a day tracing/coloring/writing with my direct guidance. If he is resistant than be gentle, set a timer and give him praise when he is done. Ultimately, I am having a hard time visualizing a child being really successful in a workbook based curriculum if writing isn’t fluent and easy for them, but I do NOT know your child and I am NOT “The Authority” on these things.
These are just my thoughts.
I think your son has outgrown canned software. Guide him to explore mathematical concepts in a spreadsheet and let him explore. This takes the arithmetic out of mathematics and facilitates divergent thinking. The spreadsheet is becoming more and more a requirement of life in the 21st Century so it prepares children for the workplace. I hope it finds its way into the primary grades.
Computation is then taught separately but with an emphasis on estimation.