Preschool Maths Guide for Parents

Preschool maths may not be as hard as what one has to endure later on when they study the subject but it still not a piece of cake. This is basically the time when one is learning through their activities and by observing different people. During this time, a child’s teacher is his/her parents and they will be highly influenced by everything they hear and see from them. Parents can start to prepare their child for school by covering up the basics like reading and counting with them. This way, when the child starts going to school, they will have a basic knowledge of the things being taught. Many people send their children to preschool in order to get them ready for the tough life ahead.

Children are already indulging in preschool maths in their own little ways since they are curious about pretty much everything in life and they try to satisfy this curiosity by indulging in hands-on activities and projects and by asking questions regularly. However, some preschoolers will be better at these activities than others. Some may be able to rasp certain activities better than others, depending on their interests and personalities. By about three or four years of age, most children are able to grasp the most important basic maths concepts and should be able to perform the tasks related to these concepts.

Moving on, preschools have been quick to adopt preschool maths in other subjects as well. There used to be a time when maths was discussed only in the time or slot allotted for mathematics and no one cared to talk about it in a practical way at all. No one deemed it appropriate to incorporate maths in other activities and lessons as well. Now, however, preschool teachers try and incorporate the subject in various activities. For example, they will ask children to cut up four circles in the art class, do seven different types of exercise in PE and ask them two read Dr. Suess’ classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish in English class.

It is important for parents to ask about the preschool maths programme before they finalize their child’s admission into a preschool. Parents must ask the teachers what sort of math plan they use and how successful has it been? Ask them the criteria for judging the successful of their math programs and if they take some sort of practical tests of their students. Moreover, ask them if each class follows the same program or if there different ones for each class. Ask them how much of the instructions are set and fixed by the teachers in the curriculum and how much of it can be changed and is flexible when the actual teaching is taking place.

Most importantly, parents will need to ask how much of the preschool maths program will prepare their kids for kindergarten and how will it prepare them for school. However, parents must remember that once a child gets admitted into an elementary school, their performance will be measured according to their performance and the laws followed in the state they reside in. Also, ask the preschool if maths is blended in with other subjects, lessons and activities and if they say it is blended, ask them to give certain examples to prove their point. See if the examples they give will work in a practical environment and if it will truly help the child.

Lastly, be sure to ask the preschool the steps they take if they realize that certain children may not be performing very well and that they may need extra help to be good at preschool maths. Ask them if they tailor the way they give instructions depending upon the child’s needs.