Because at this age, children are still at the concrete level of
thinking, a variety of methods need to be used for teaching math.
Manipulatives, charts, and graphs are among the tools used to enhance
curriculum.
Make math part of your every day lives by asking mathmatical questions
like this:
If a hamburger is $1.79 and a drink is .99, what would the total be rounded
up to the nearest dollar amount?
Take the five highest temperatures projected for the week in the newspaper.
What would be the average of these? What would be the difference between the
highest and lowest temperature of a given day?
Take time allowing your child be involved with cooking at home. My own boys
learned about fractions by mixing a simple brownie mix when they were
younger. Have him or her measure out 1/2 cup of ingredients, 1/4 tsp. etc.
Ask what the amount would be if the ingredient was doubled, tripled, and so
on. Nothing is better than hands on math and science in the kitchen!