Struggling in Math

My oldest daughter has always struggled with math. She is a great student... but math just never seemed to click. Every year at conferences teachers would discuss how she struggled with timed tests and simple problems.


Something clicked this year! Of course, I attribute much of the success to her teachers. She is in 4th grade- soon to be a 5th grader. At her conference this year instead of commenting on her struggles with math the teacher said "I am sure you know how well she does in math." WHAT?


What a surprise that was to hear the teacher express her success! My daughter was so excited to hear that she was doing well.


I also firmly believe that much of her success comes from her constant efforts on a few of the games we have around our house. What your children play with will affect how they do in life and in school.


One of her favorites has been Mosaic Mysteries. It is a puzzle designed for older children and uses creativity and problem solving! The puzzle comes with a guide that gives kids ideas of different designs and puzzles.


Maybe you are thinking... WHAT? A puzzle- but puzzles actually help children with reading and math skills. They help children fit the pieces together and problem solve.

This picture is one of the many designs she has made using this puzzle set. It is very portable so great for the car too! Kids can simply put the box in their lap and make the puzzle.

The puzzle is sold through Discovery Toys. You can view the game at http://www.toysaregreat.com/

Helping Language Develop in Children

When our children are first born we are so excited to hear what their first word will be. I remember when my oldest was first born... I thought every sound was "mom." Maybe I wanted every sound to be Mom!



When my oldest was 2 1/2, I purchased this CD. Granted it came with my starter kit for Discovery Toys, but thought I would listen to it with my daughter. At first I was not sure about what this CD says it can do. It can help children learn phonics, months of the year, counting- really a lot of what a child needs to learn for kindergarten.



Well, I was amazed! Within a week she could sing the months of the year. I had nothing to do with that. It was the CD that we were listening to in the car.



Since that time many parents have told me the success they have had with the CD. They have said it is great for the car, bedtime and quiet time.



Below is a exerpt from an article written by a teacher. She talks about the importance of words and singing with your child.

“…banana, fana, fofana, fi fi fo fana…” Sound familiar?
This childhood ditty can be stuck in your head for hours, but it may actually serve a
purpose. You might want to make up your own silly version. Absolutely, GO FOR
IT!! Be sure to include your kids in the fun!
Why? Playing with sounds, rhymes, and nonsense words is vital to the logical
progression of pre-reading skills. How?
Spoken language is made up of sounds (phonemes)
Sounds make words
Words make phrases
Phrases make sentences
Sentences have meaning
Mastering written language (reading) follows the exact same progression with the
phonemes (sounds) represented by symbols (such as letters) called graphemes.
Remember how your baby would delight in your smiles, coos, and sound mimics
during his babbling stage? As your child develops, she will mimic the sounds you
make. Take advantage of these opportunities by making rhymes and word
repetitions.
“bat, rat, cat, ratatattat”
“bed, bat, b,b,b,b”
“car, cat, cut, cot…..bot, not, sot, rot, tot”

written by
Miss Cathy”
MA Education, Curriculum: Reading Option
Reading Specialist
Currently teaching second grade (10 years)
Former Preschool/Pre-K teacher (9 years)

The CD is called Sounds Like Fun. It was written by a mom as she was singing to her daughter. Since the CD has been released many Kindergarten classrooms and preschools use this CD to enhance the learning.

Below is one of my favorite songs on the CD. It is the phonics song. The CD also comes with a fold out page to use while listening to the song to increase the learning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK9VPtz3EHQ