Math is so much more interesting and complex than rote counting and number problems. With summer learning on our minds, we have been working on ways to maintaining children’s learning while out of school. Math is often overlooked and even worse, feared!
A few weeks ago all Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) children age 3 received, “Goodnight, Numbers,” which is a book designed to put children on a path to loving numbers by showing that numbers are all around us! The author, Danica McKellar is an American actress, mathematics writer, and education advocate. She starred in The Wonder Years, How I Met Your Mother, and several Hallmark movies, but her passion is teaching young children that Math is fun! Danica encourages, “kids to see math as “friendly” and relevant in their lives.”
NAEYC’s came out with its newest book all about discovering the math around us and using the combined magic of mathematizing, storytelling, and play to create fun and meaningful math learning experiences. “Where’s the Math?”
The practical, easy-to-implement activities in this book—inspired by and embedded in children’s books, games, and routines—offer ideas for how you can help children in preschool and kindergarten develop critical math thinking skills.
No matter who or where you are, numbers are all around ready for you to share with young children. Count, sing, move, and play with the objects around you!