Readiness for Number Instruction

 

     Math and Number Awareness involves a variety of skills, including: 1) Numeral identification (recognizing all 10 numerals from 0 through 9 and knowing each numeral’s name); 2) Counting; 3) One-to-one correspondence; 4) Counting on; 5) Patterning recognition and creation; and 6) Sorting and classifying.

 

The Importance of Strong Math and Number Skills

 

     Basic math and number concepts utilized in a preschool or kindergarten classroom set the foundation for learning more advanced math concepts. Early exposure to math and number activities will promote your child’s comfort with these skills. Also, additional opportunities to practice these skills will increase your child’s confidence when working with math and number concepts and will lead him to believe he is “good at math.” If your child does not become comfortable with math and number concepts at a young age, he will lack confidence in his abilities and may become hesitant as more advanced math concepts are introduced. When this happens, he may default to believing he is “bad at math” and he risks beginning a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.

 

Numeral Identification

 

     The first step in Math and Number Awareness is learning what the 10 numerals (0 through 9) look like. This requires strong Visual Discrimination skills since many numerals (such as 6 and 9, or 1 and 7) look very similar. Once a child is able to recognize the 10 numerals and know each numeral’s name, he can develop an understanding of the amount each numeral represents.

 

Counting

 

     When first learning to count, a child counts by rote memorization. This means he will likely be able to say the names of the numbers from 1 through 10 simply because he has memorized the order of the words, “one, two three ... ten.” However, he likely does not yet understand that 5 is 2 more than 3, for example.

 

One-To-One Correspondence

 

     When counting, the concept of “one-to-one correspondence” is the understanding that each object being counted represents “one more.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Before a child understands one-to-one correspondence, he will count by rote memorization. When asked to count a small group of objects, he will likely count quickly through the numbers he has memorized and randomly touch the objects being counted instead of touching and counting each object just once. For example, a child given five beads may automatically count aloud from 1 to 10 when asked to count the beads, pointing to random beads as he proudly shows how well he can “count.”

 

Counting On

 

     “Counting on” allows a child to continue counting objects added to a previously counted group without recounting the entire group. For example, give your child two apples and ask him to count them. Then, give your child three more apples. Counting on would involve your child applying one-to-one correspondence to the additional three apples by counting “three, four, five” instead of restarting at one and recounting all five apples.

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Counting on is an important skill because it is time-consuming and impractical to recount a group of items each time additional pieces are added.

 

Patterning recognition and creation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Understanding patterns is an underlying theme in preschool and kindergarten math lessons. A pattern is defined as any sequence that repeats at least twice. As a practical example, consider counting from one to one hundred by ones. When counting, there is a recurring pattern in which all digits rotate from 0 to 9 before restarting back at 0.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The first pattern that is introduced in the preschool classroom is called an AB pattern. This means that two different objects line up in an alternating pattern, such as: orange (A), banana (B), orange (A), banana (B), and so on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     As comfort with patterns grows, the patterns will become more complex, moving to an ABC pattern or an AAB pattern.

 

      The ability to recognize, identify and create patterns not only supports learning in math but it also contributes to broader social development. Through an understanding of patterns, children are able to make predictions about what comes next. Just as a child can predict that a red bead will come next after seeing a string with a red bead, blue bead, green bead, red bead, blue bead, green bead pattern, a child will be able to make accurate predictions about other things or events that occur with regularity. For example, predicting what comes next after eating lunch (cleaning up) or after taking a bath (putting on clean clothes) will help a child maneuver more confidently in his environment.

 

Classifying and Sorting

 

     Children are also introduced to sorting and classifying in preschool or kindergarten math lessons. These activities provide children with opportunities to develop logical reasoning skills as well as demonstrate divergent (independent) thinking.

     For example, three different children will likely sort a pile of buttons of varying shapes, sizes, colors, and materials in three different ways. One child may put all the round buttons in one group and all the odd shaped buttons in a different group. A second child might put all the metal buttons in one group and all the plastic button in a different group. And a third child might sort the buttons according to color or size. The particular organizational system is not important. What is important is that each child accurately sorts according to his organization system and is able to explain his thought process.

 

Importance of Hands-On Learning

 

     Math learning is most exciting for children when hands-on manipulatives (fancy teacher-speak for small objects that can be easily handled or manipulated) are incorporated. Manipulatives give children tangible representations of the otherwise abstract concepts related to numbers and counting. For example, when asking a child to count to 30, he may become lost or distracted halfway through. But, when you give the same child 30 small beans and ask him to count them, he will likely be able to apply one-to-one correspondence and accurately count all 30 beans.

     Hands-on manipulatives are also essential when teaching patterning. Consider trying to explain pattern creation to your child without using hands-on manipulatives, by asking your child “red block, blue block, red block, blue block… what comes next?” Understandably your child probably did not memorize the order of words that you said and will struggle to answer correctly. By giving your child small red and blue blocks to place in order as you say the same pattern, “red block, blue block, red block, blue block,” you will increase the likelihood that he will be able to continue the pattern.