How to introduce your child to math

As unlikely as it sounds, books are an excellent way to introduce young children to math. As you read stories and look at the pictures together, no doubt revisiting the same books over and over, you can ask your little one questions framed using mathematical language. Here are some examples:

• “How many bears can you count in the picture?” (counting)
• “Is the squirrel bigger or smaller than the lion?” (measurements)
• “Is the roof of the house square or triangular?” (geometry)
• “Who was the last to arrive in the story?” (ordering)
• “What do you think will happen to the cat when it starts raining?” (hypothesizing)
• Etc.

There are lots of great ways to teach kids how to count, including nursery rhymes, toy abacuses, and board games like Snakes and Ladders. Another effective strategy that’ll stimulate both your child’s interest in math and their curiosity is having them count the things they see around them. Here are some examples:

• “Count how many red pencils you have in your pencil case.”
• “How many flowers can you count on the tablecloth?”
• “Are there more than 20 forks in the drawer?”
• Etc.

Kids love a good guessing game! And they’re the perfect way to introduce a very important math concept: estimation. Here are some sample questions to get you started:

• “How long do you think it’ll take to get to Grandpa’s?”
• “How many tomato slices do you think will fit in your sandwich?”
• “Do you think there are more or fewer than 100 cars in the parking lot?”
• Etc.

You’ve likely already discovered that your recycling bin is a treasure trove of potential DIY projects. But did you know that it can also help you teach your little one about geometry? For example, you can ask your child to do the following:

• Group together all the square boxes
• Tell you how many sides the tissue box has
• Use three boxes to make a triangle
• Etc.

There are all sorts of games you can play with a simple deck of cards that involve using math skills (though your child doesn’t need to know that!). Here are a few ideas to try on the next rainy day or family night in:

• Create sequences
• Match the pairs
• Put the cards in order
• Etc.