Today’s Child and Numbers

Mathematics is a subject that many kids would want to be dispensed with in their school curriculum. Unfortunately, this cannot be as it has been proven time and time again that Mathematics is a subject that we all must grapple with in one form or the other. The farmer, trader, academic, manufacturer, inventor etc all require the understanding and the use of numbers in their daily operations. Even the child that wants mathematics dispensed with use numbers daily, at least when he wants to buy his favourite snack. The trick, therefore, in keeping kids interested in Mathematics is to get them familiar with the use of numbers at an early age, and in a fun way. These tips are designed to assist.

·    Playing ‘shop’ – this is appropriate for children between the ages of 3 and 5. The child sets up a ‘shop’ in the house and ‘sells’ things to the family members. Keep it simple at this stage. Pay with coins or bottle corks. The essence of the game is to let the child count whatever ‘money’ is given to him

·      The second stage of playing shop is for children between the ages of 6 and 8. This time you would have to introduce the basic concept of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

·      The third stage which is for children older than 8 involves playing other games that involve counting and calculating

·       Make the use of numbers an everyday activity; when on a trip, let them count the number of cars, etc that you encounter.

·     Let them calculate how much your shopping costs and what your change would be if you paid over the stated amount

·      Make all maths learning fun; let it not be drab as in the old days!