Exploring numbers early gives your toddler a great headstart!
Your baby will love you even more for honing his/her numerical skills without taking the fun away. Bear in mind that babies have minds that work like sponges but with the attention span of a fish. To make learning a happy experience, you capture their attention long enough to instill the seeds of learning.
Math is a skill that starts out very early in childhood. There are many concepts that toddlers can grasp about math. Some, you may not even recognize as math. But these skills are often developed as play. So, the appropriate books here can help your toddler build up those math skills. Take advantage of this opportunity to help them learn the basics of math.
Pre-K is a great age to begin the lessons of number recognition and counting. Like all math skills, you do have to start at the beginning. Practice counting a few of the same items at first. Like many math skills, practice and repetitionare the building blocks. While you can eventually move on to higher numbers, you shouldn't expect them always to remember the order that the numbers go in.
Shape recognition is another part of math that toddlers can explore. This is accomplished by explaining the differences and through the play of inserting shapes into the proper holes. It is easy to incorporate this into the every day as you can point out objects through the day and name the shapes. It is also something that they will explore in more depth in preschool.
Patterns are another thing that you can start discovering with your toddler. Keep the patterns very simple at first. You can ask or show them what comes next in the sequence. As they develop their skills, you can add a third color or shape. The key is not to overcomplicate your patterns. If at all possible, only make one change in the sequence such as alter the color of an item or the shape of an object. Wait until they get the concept down before trying more complex changes.
Size is another math concept that you can explore with your toddler. The idea that things are different sizes is the introduction to the most complicated world of measurements. At this age, you should put emphasis on comparing objectsand pointing out which one is different. You can also concentrate on establishing an order of sizes. How big something is might be a little over their heads at this point, because they are still basically comparing everything to themselves.
There are many math skills that toddlers can build through play. These skills are the base for more complex math skills later on. While you might not be able to help your teenager with their algebra, you can help your toddler learn the basics of numbers.
Young, J. Steven: - Author J. Steven Young shares adventurous and imaginative observations on life across multiple genres, including children's activity books, young adult and fantasy. His Hashtag Magic collection is quickly moving up the fantasy charts on Amazon and the third book in the series is currently in development. Raised in the Chicago area, J. Steven witnessed his fair share of injustice growing up and always imagined how he could make life better for everyone if only he'd had magic or super powers. It took years for him to understand that he did have a gift. Though he traveled the globe in his youth, he still favors the lands of his imagination and wants nothing more than to share his visions with the world. He hopes his gift will allow readers to escape from reality, if only for a spell. Following his education in technology, with a focus in writing and communication, he's spent his career working in the tech and travel industries. It allows for some creativity, but it doesn't compare to the freedom of creating new worlds and magical creatures. A passionate home chef, J. Steven, can often be found in the kitchen with his agreeable husband, Tom, and their self-important Siamese, Lexi, who rules the house with an iron paw. When he isn't working or writing, J. Steven is never more than a step or thought away from adventure. Whether spending time in his enchanted garden, conjuring up new recipes or spending time with family and friends, he's always dreaming up new fiction based on over-the-top characterizations of the people he meets. J. Steven is the author of over a dozen books and lives in Chicago, Illinois. For news, updates and to send inquiries, please visit J. Steven's website at http: //jstevenyoung.com or join him on Twitter @jstevenyoung #magic
