Counting backwards is a really important skill. It starts off simply with counting songs and rote counting, but much later on develops into subtraction and other types of calculating. But how do you teach backward counting? Start to teach counting backwards with simple songs that practice the skill in a simple way. Use a variety …
Understanding positional words is quite a long process. It takes most children a while to first comprehend the terms, and then longer again to start to use the words themselves. Having worked as a preschool teacher for many years, I have lots of tricks and games up my sleeve to get them going with this …
In the ten years I have spent teaching young children between the ages of 3 to 5, one of the most important secrets I have discovered is how to teach number recognition. Some children will just pick this up from exposure to numbers in their environment. However, for most children, this is a long process …
1 to 1 correspondence is super important! In the ten years I have taught young children between the ages of 3 and 5, I have found that 1:1 correspondence is a foundation for all the skills that come after it: adding, subtracting, finding one more and less, and lots of other things, too. Without one …
The concept of symmetry is something that young children can begin to explore through practical activities, even before they can really put into words what it is. It is definitely better to start with experimentation with objects, rather than give them symmetry worksheets, printables or folding pictures. What are the best symmetry activities for kids? …
Ten frames are becoming one of the most widely used models to teach a range of strategies in early maths. Ten frames are a good tool because they allow children to visualise quantities within the context of ten. Our number system is based around the number ten, for the simple reason that we have ten …
Counting sticks are one of the most versatile tools to teach a range of skills in maths. It is also a simple resource that can be used very effectively with children aged between 3 and at least 11, and maybe higher. There is no end to its versatility, as well as its simplicity. But how …