A Simple Math Conversation
Today’s blog is really written for my parent friends who are not exactly big math fans. And it is also written for my Aunt/Uncle/Grandparent friends who may not be math experts. Basically if you come in contact with a child who is still learning math and you are not necessarily a teacher, this blog is for you! As a parent and a reading specialist, I am keenly aware that I know what to say and do with emergent readers, but I have to work a little harder to notice and support the math development of my own children.
At the breakfast table recently, I had a moment that helped calm my parenting math fears. One of my 4 year olds noticed there were 4 people seated at the table. I followed that up with, “how many MORE people would we need to fill all our chairs at the table?” Unfortunately, my 12 year old jumped in and said, “2!” before anyone else could respond.
I took a minute to explain to my charming middle school child that obviously with 6 chairs, 2 was the correct answer and while I was impressed with her 12 year old computation abilities, what I really wanted was her sister to be able to PROBLEM SOLVE.
I wanted the 4 year old to be able to come up with a way to actually figure out the answer and then articulate it to me. I have noticed that problem solving is a big piece of all math, regardless of the age and fortunately, this translates into our real lives pretty easily, even for those of us who are not math experts.
So I then said, “let’s take turns talking about all the ways we can make 6.” To my surprise, my 4 year olds were able to rattle off multiple ways to make 6. It is important to note I had not given them a lot of background or done any fancy flashcards or pulled out a math workbook or worksheet. They just started figuring it out naturally by talking and thinking.
Wow, I thought. This really isn’t that hard….
Realizing this was a math moment, I grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down what they were saying. I ended up repeating it back to them attempting to use precise math language like, “plus” and “equals” because I heard this was really important for preschoolers. Both of them naturally wanted a turn “reading” the math problems out loud after we made the list.
Our list looked like this:
The most popular way for them to figure out “finding 6” was to reconfigure the chairs mentally. For example, there are 2 chairs on each of the “long sides” of the table and 1 on each end. This helped them “see” how to make 6. They mentally manipulated this by looking at the sides, the ends, the people in chairs, the people out of chairs, etc.
This simple conversation can be something you can replicate at your own house. Don’t get intimidated by all the math stuff you do or don’t remember from your own experience as a student. Just try to notice an opportunity to have a conversation about math concepts.
You can support math at your house anytime you have your kids share their thinking about how to solve a problem. Please note: you do not have to TELL them a bunch of math theory and get them to regurgitate it back to you. Rest assured kids need us to provide a little support, get out of their way, and then let them share their thinking-even if it is tangled up. This is how authentic learning takes place.
The math conversations will continue at my house. It will take lots of time and talk in order for them to fully grasp number concepts and we have plenty of time. Not a math expert? It’s OK! Get kids talking, thinking, and talking some more. The key is to get out of their way so they can really show what they know!