To help your child develop his or her understanding of math concepts, Professional Development Program Manager Coco McAtee suggests these tips:

• Have fun with your child, kids learn from playing
• Limit TV and computer use, children’s brains develop by relating to people
• Use household items, such as setting a table or measuring ingredients
• Talk to your child about things you do to teach math concepts and logical sequences

Activity ideas

Birth to 30 months

• Play with different size cups in the bathtub – talk and demonstrate full, half-full, empty and more/less
• Teach body parts -- two eyes, one nose, 10 fingers, 10 toes
• Play peek-a-boo to help children realize that objects are permanent, even if they are out of sight.

3- to -6-year-old children

• Find all the squares in an area, then find all the circles, triangles, rectangles and ovals
• When you’re in a car, count all the trucks, slugbugs or other category of items that go by
• At a stop light, count how long it takes for the light to change
• Keep books and writing instruments in the car to keep children occupied
• Puzzles with 30 pieces or less teach problem-solving
• When setting the table for dinner, explain that you’re adding plates, cups, forks, etc., to the table. What if two more people came to dinner, how many people would that make? This conveys a "set" or category of items that go together.
• When clearing the table after dinner, explain that when you subtract one plate from the table only three are left
• When cutting sandwiches, demonstrate a whole, half or quarter sandwich and triangle or rectangle shapes
• Have your children measure ingredients for meals, baking, etc.
• Card games such as “Go Fish,” "Old Maid" and “Concentration” help children find similarities and match patterns
• Count stairs as you go up or down
• Board games require rolling dice and counting, helping children make a 1-to-1 association (such as Jr. Monopoly or Hi-Ho Cheery-O)

For older children

• While at the supermarket, have your kids add up all your fruits or calculate your grocery bill -- which helps them learn about categories, math concepts and decimal points
• Keep track of how tall your children grow -- ask your children to hypothesize how tall they might grow in a year
• Use a measuring tape or ruler to help children learn about length, height and circumference
• Puzzles with 60 or more pieces challenge older children

Book suggestions

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Ten Little Rabbits by Virginia Grossman & Sylvia Long
• My First Number Book by DK Publishing, Inc.
• Reader’s Digest books on counting
• Terrific Topcs: Pets by Danielle Schultz
• Terrific Topics: Zoo by Danielle Schultz
• Squeeze Me Play Book by Pyramid Toys Ltd.
• PuzzleMania (subscription, also available at libraries)
• MathMania (subscription, also available at libraries)

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