Kindergarten-Grade 2
Children develop positive attitudes toward math when they see that their parents and families value it. Find ways to show that you enjoy math. Let your child see you using math not only for routine activities, such as paying bills and following recipes, but also by playing number games and solving math puzzles.
Traveling—whether by car, bus, train or plane—provides many opportunities for children to use mental math and estimation to solve time and distance problems.
What You Need
• Information about how far you're traveling and how long it will take
• Bus, train or plane schedule
What to Do
• On a routine trip around town, point out the time on a watch and say, for example, "It's 3:15, and it takes us 30 minutes to get to your dentist's office. Are we going to get there before your 4:15 appointment?"
• Show your child a bus, train or plane schedule and explain what it is and how to read it. Point out, for example, that a schedule shows when the bus leaves one place and when it arrives at another. Have her figure out how long it takes the bus to get to several places listed on the schedule.
• On a longer trip, occasionally ask your child to estimate how far you've traveled and how much longer it will take to get where you're going. Use road signs or schedules and timetables to help her check the answers.
