A Worksheet for Math-Phobic Parents

For those of you parents out there, this post is for you.  I'm not sure how many of you like math or not but trying to teach a youngster algebra or trig can be twice as hard if you fear the numbers yourself.  This WSJ article takes a closer look at the importance of match and learning about numbers at a young age.

Not having read the article prior to working with my own children I have been trying to get them to count to 5 and have them recognize numbers beyond that as well.  I'm not sure if they understand what I am saying or not but it sure makes for for entertaining times.

Full WSJ article here

• Parents play a pivotal role in kids' math attitudes and skills, starting in toddlerhood. Those who talk often to their youngsters about numbers, and explain spatial relationships in gestures and words, tend to instill better math skills at age 4, according to a long-term, in-home study of 44 preschoolers and their parents led by Susan C. Levine, a professor of psychology and comparative human development at the University of Chicago.
• Parents don't have to know math to help kids get off to a good start. Teaching youngsters to make connections between numbers and sets of objects—think showing a child three Cheerios when teaching the number three—helps children understand what numbers mean better than reciting strings of numbers by memory, Dr. Levine says. Doing puzzles together or using gestures to help describe spatial relationships such as "taller" and "shorter," can instill spatial abilities, which are linked to better math skills, she says.
• Struggling alongside your child can actually be helpful, says Suzanne Sutton, a Rockville, Md., math consultant and founder of NewtonsWindow.com, a website to help parents and students with math. A parent who is comfortable with trying and failing can teach a child how to look up things and grapple with challenges.