Helping Your First Grader Learn Outside of School

1. Look for everyday opportunities to have your child do mathematics. For example, if you open a carton of eggs and take out seven, ask, “How many are left in the carton?” 

2. Play math games with your child. For example, “I’m thinking of a number. When I add five to it, I get 11. What is the number?”

3. Encourage your child to read and write numbers in different ways. For example, what are some ways that you can make the number 15? 15 can be 10+5, 7+8, 20-5, or 5+5+5. 

4. Have your child create story problems to represent addition, subtraction, and comparisons. For example, “I have seven pennies. My brother has five pennies. How many pennies does he need to have the same number as I have? He needs two more pennies.”

5. Encourage your child to stick with it whenever a problem seems difficult. This will help your child see that everyone can learn math.

6. Praise your child when he or she makes an effort and share in the excitement when he or she solves a problem or understands something for the first time.

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