Category Archives: Parents

Trouble with math? Time is running out for this year

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With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, we urge the parents to make sure you have all the resources in place to help your child when they are struggling with math.

You can make use of our Moms Teach Math video series (sorry for that name, Dads are also verv welcome to it) to be able to help your child with their home work and learn about manipulatives. When you think the math issues continue and there could be a math learning disability or Dyscalculia, make sure you get a diagnosis and plan for a meeting at school to give them accommodations so they can be successful like the other children who do not have learning issues.

Several easy ways to get a good view on what is going on

Our dyscalculia screener in the left navigation panel (free registration required) or our online Math and Dyscalculia Screening Test with a report emailed to you shortly after completing the test.

However you go about it, but remember this is the good moment to take action, we still have some months.

The new school year, let’s get ready

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When your student(s) have been struggling with math it could be Dyscalculia. 

Let’s not wait too long and provide the support they need and deserve. 

To learn more about Dyscalculia you can:

Watch our Free Webinars

Follow our headlines

Do our Dyscalculia Awareness Course

Test your student online

Become a Dyscalculia Tutor with our online Training

Contact us for more or different support

DrSchreuder@dyscalculiaservices.com    tel: 832-377-8373


Number books make a good bedtime read!

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When you are selecting books to read to your kids at bedtime, consider a book that deals with numbers and calculations.

Children love to hear the same familiar story over and over and this adds to their memory of the numerical content.

Making and rereading their own Math Bedtime book is great (obviously you have gently aided in correcting any mistakes to prevent those taking root in your child’s memory). For our Number Walk and Bedtime Book activity go to the ‘Free Activities and Downloads’ menu.  

Continue reading →

Activities and Downloads Overview

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Children learn by doing

Research in education tells us over and over that hands on activities have more impact than verbal or written explanations alone. Simple manipulatives and pictures are used as key elements to illustrate math concepts.

Download our free guidelines and templates for games, outright playful and more serious activities to develop the math centers in your children’s brain. There are sample activities to develop number sense, visuo-spatial activities and templates. Have fun!

Please register for free, to give us an idea if activities are useful as a guidance to expand the website in the future. We never share your information with any other organization, see our Terms and Conditions – Privacy Policy.

Number sense activities              Math concept                          
Rules of Thumb General approach for teaching your child
Number walk and Bedtime book Learning number words, counting, one to one relationship, starting with the numerals
Take a guess before you count Subitizing, small quantity estimation, quantity comparison
Learning to count on the kitchen tiles Counting up and counting down, numerals
First, Second, and Third place Play a game to learn the cardinal numbers
Number cards counting and sorting activity  NEW Counting by ones and tens, and sorting by tens
Number-line addition and subtraction Number-line, distance, counting, skip counting, addition, subtraction
On the Double Introducing the concept of multiplication by doubling
Conquer the Multiplication Tables Basic understanding of the multiplication tables till ten
Help with fractions Help your child to grasp the concept of fractions
Understanding fractions and Fractions Booklet Explanation how to make the most of the Fractions Booklet
Fractions Booklet My fractions book: whole and parts, add and subtract like parts
Fraction Notation activities and cards NEW Understanding Fraction notation and concepts
Cross out cross-multiplication Prevent confusion with cross-multiplication by showing all steps
Visuo-spatial activities  Math concept 
Symmetry activity: looking left and right Symmetry drawings: sizes and shapes, line of symmetry, symmetrical shape
Ruler number sense activity NEW Estimating size of numbers
Thinking about Area by folding Fold to divide an area in similar parts, area is width times length
Pegboards Copy patterns and shapes
Patterns from concrete to abstract From patterns with concrete objects to number patterns
Templates  Math concept
Counting place-mat  Counting to five
Number-bonds place-mat   Number-bonds to ten
Number cards    Color coded number cards 1 – 100
Base ten template  Ones, tens, hundreds
Domino Doubles cards  Learning the Doubles from 0 – 9

 

 

Ten tips to help your child with Math homework

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It can be hard to help your child with Math homework. For one child an explanation of the procedure works, another child would like to see a worked out example or ‘act out’ the question by making a drawing or using manipulatives before doing the calculations with numbers. A positive attitude is always helpful. 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Ask your child what the question is he likes to have help with and to tell what is already clear and where it gets tricky.
  • Ask which operation the questions asks for: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division? 
  • Ask him if he can make a guess of the answer before starting the exact calculation. Discuss if the guess makes sense and why.
  • Ask if he can find an explanation or worked out example in the textbook or in his notes?
  • Ask him to write the number sentence of the question on squared/graph paper using one square for each number or sign, and give it a try to solve it.
  • Does your child need graph paper (square paper) to keep the numbers aligned or to help with drawing a model?
  • Does your child need a temporary ‘cheat sheet’ with math facts?
  • Can you find or make up a similar, but less complicated question to do as an example?
  • Suggest to go over the corrections of previous questions looking for a similar mistake and ask your child to tell you how it was fixed. Ask him to fix the question he was working on in the same way.
  • Suggest that your child makes a list of previous errors and how they were fixed, review the list.
  • Does your child like to work together with another student from the class or make a phone call about the question?
  • Is your child’s teacher available before or after school to explain the question? By email?

Be realistic and allow time for practice. Children who have missed out in Math in the past need more practice. You want to see progress and you can’t expect 100% correct the first time. Praise the effort and the deep thinking! Emphasize that Math makes sense, never speak negatively about math or tell that you as a child disliked the subject.

Last but not least: as much as you like your child to get a good homework grade, please resist the urge to just provide the correct answers. You help your child best when you set the stage to come up with the answers himself.

If your child is really stuck try a web based homework helper such as www.webmath.com  or answers.yahoo.com  select ‘Education & Reference’ or review the topic on www.Khanacademy.org