Prevent maths anxiety in young children
Maths homework can turn any happy household into an emotionally charged battlefield but according to University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Education Lecturer and mother, Nicole Todd, it doesn’t have to be that way. Ms Todd believes mathematical skills can begin to develop in young children long before they attend formal educational settings and parents can assist in this development at home by doing some fun activities. 'By doing some simple activities with your child when they are young you can beat the dreaded maths anxiety and help them in their later achievement in maths at school,' Ms Todd said. 'As any educational support person will tell you, early prevention is far more successful than later remediation.' Ms Todd said there are four types of early maths skills and understandings - matching, classification, comparing and ordering. 'Matching involves linking one item to another, a skill children need to learn before they can rationally count. At home you can ask your child to set the table, placing one fork at every place setting and so on. 'If you use a portable clothes line, or a toy one your child can place one peg on each sock as they hang them out. With empty egg cartons ask your child to plop one marble in each cup. 'Even getting dressed can be an opportunity to learn maths skills as it involves lots of matching – one sock and one shoe for each foot etc.' Ms Todd said classification activities are another way to help build your child’s abilities. 'Classification involves putting objects into groups or categories according to their ‘sameness’. At home this skill can be developed through tidying up toys, putting all cars in the toy box and all dolls on the shelves for example. 'Pencils, crayons and textas can be sorted into different tubs along with buttons, clothes, books, plastic dinnerware, cutlery and shoes. At first, allow your child to develop her own categories then ask her to tell you why the items were sorted that way. Then ask her to try to sort the same items into different groups, but don’t think your child is poor at this skill if she doesn’t group items the way you would. 'Ask them why, you may be surprised at their thoughtful answer. Ms Todd said the third skill, comparing, involved noticing difference as opposed to sameness. 'Comparing two items or events can be practiced by asking your child, ‘Which is lighter?’ or ‘Who has more?’. 'Noting opposites is another way to build on comparison skills. It can be as simple as noting the difference between hot and cold - it is hot outside but colder in the pool. 'My boys love to help me with cooking, so long as a sweet is being baked. Playing with the kitchen scales to determine which item is heavier and which is lighter is also developing skills of comparison. 'Comparing items is an essential activity for the development of the final skill of ordering. Ordering involves placing more than two items in sequence,' Ms Todd said. 'Common ways of ordering involve size, such as short to long and little to big. Toy nesting rings or mixing bowls and measuring cups supply opportunities for young children to begin ordering. 'Talking about who is first and who is last in the bath is another ordering activity. Learning the concepts of first, second third and so on comes later. Ms Todd said the most important aspect when doing these activities with your child is to keep things fun. 'Early maths skills can easily be incorporated into everyday life without sitting down to formal sessions with a young child. 'You don’t even have to be ‘good at maths’ yourself, just make the whole thing fun.' Nicole Todd is an education lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland, Springfield campus who lectures in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education) degree program.
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