Name your favorite math challenge supplement for primary grades

[SMRB]

Let me start by saying that DS is in first grade and LOVES math. He asks for it every day. We use Miquon, Singapore and LOF at home. I try to stay within the topic/area being covered at school at the moment and go as deep as I can on that rather than moving him ahead. DS does not get bored with me, but I don't think he's being challenged enough either. He is clearly bored in math at school (subject of upcoming conference with teacher). In addition to Miquon and the regular Singapore 1A text/workbooks, we have used Singapore's Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems, Process Skills, and the other Singapore Math Practice book by Frank Shaffer. He uses GoMath! at school, and I checked out their Enrichment Workbook, and it's not even as good/challenging as what I have. We do have Right Start A and all of the games materials. He hated RSA, but he is happy to play the card games.

 

I am desperate to find this child's challenge point and make him really think. What is your favorite primary grade math challenge material for enrichment? Do you try to enrich on-topic along with school, or do you let your kids go ahead? If you let them go ahead (in our case, to double digit addition/subtraction), does it cause confusion or problems at school? I'm worried that if I let him go ahead, he'll end up multiple grades ahead and my school boredom problem will be even worse...

 

ETA: I have Zaccaro's Primary Challenge Math in my Amazon cart if anyone has opinions on that.

[mathmarm]

What topics has your son been exposed to at school?  The math that he's allowed to play with will determine what I recommend. There are a number of ideas that you can use to fuel a lot of home made games.

Look back at his Table of Contents to see what he's covered if you don't know off the top of your head.

 

I don't know how much I recommend never or rarely introducing anything new. It would have driven me utterly insane to be exposed to math at the PS's pace when I was a girl, though I was pretty bored during Math lessons at PS because I already knew what they were going to teach. I learned to do my work quickly and quietly and then do something else (usually, I'd flip the page over and make up extra problems or doodle) We only had ~1hr of math in school each day.

 

I recognize the legitimate concerns of radically accelerating a child beyond the scope and sequence of their grade, still if your child "loves" math and asks for it everyday, I say feed him fresh ideas and new concepts at the pace that HE can manage. Hell be bored in school regardless of whether you give him fresh math or not. Your child will be bored in school if he is chomping at the bit for math and beyond the school lessons pace or plan. Why make him be bored at home as well?

He may slow down later, he may not, but I advise meeting the individual where they are at.

[mathmarm]

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[mathmarm]

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[mathmarm]

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[mathmarm]

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[sunnyday]

Only you know your kiddo, but I wouldn't hold back. I wouldn't push, but I would keep his interest piqued.

 

My first grader does Singapore 1B (mainly the Intensive Practice), LOF Goldfish, IXL second grade level, and we play math games at home. I've also got Zaccaro in my Amazon cart but haven't bought it yet. ;) We've done the sample pages for Beast Academy 3A and, looking at the pre-test, he'll be ready to tackle the whole thing in a few more months.

[Julie of KY]

I like Zaccaro's Primary Math Challenge.

[Uff Da!]

nm

[SMRB]

My fav supplement for this age/stage is: games. Mille Bornes, Connect 4, gin rummy, zoombinis, pajama sam, hex-a-hop,lego junkbot, sorry, checkers, chess, etc. 

 

Oh, I loved Mille Bornes as a kid! Actually, my mother gave me our old set, so I'll have to dig it out and see how that works. Great idea!

[SMRB]

What topics has your son been exposed to at school?  The math that he's allowed to play with will determine what I recommend. There are a number of ideas that you can use to fuel a lot of home made games.

Look back at his Table of Contents to see what he's covered if you don't know off the top of your head.

 

I don't know how much I recommend never or rarely introducing anything new. It would have driven me utterly insane to be exposed to math at the PS's pace when I was a girl, though I was pretty bored during Math lessons at PS because I already knew what they were going to teach. I learned to do my work quickly and quietly and then do something else (usually, I'd flip the page over and make up extra problems or doodle) We only had ~1hr of math in school each day.

 

I recognize the legitimate concerns of radically accelerating a child beyond the scope and sequence of their grade, still if your child "loves" math and asks for it everyday, I say feed him fresh ideas and new concepts at the pace that HE can manage. Hell be bored in school regardless of whether you give him fresh math or not. Your child will be bored in school if he is chomping at the bit for math and beyond the school lessons pace or plan. Why make him be bored at home as well?

He may slow down later, he may not, but I advise meeting the individual where they are at.

 

At school, they have only done addition and subtraction within 10 so far this year. In K he had all of the geometry, measurement, etc. exposure also. Much more at home obviously. I know he's ready for double-digit work - we do it in the car, talking about making 10's to find answers, etc., and he does fine with those concepts. 

 

He's about to finish subtraction within 10, but then they circle back through 2 chapters on addition and subtraction strategies (doubles, near doubles, etc.). Then a chapter on making double-digit numbers/place value, and then they finally move on to double-digit addition/subtraction. So we're looking at probably another 4-6 weeks before he starts what I think he's ready to do now. 

[mathmarm]

I never attended Kindergarten, and even if I had, I'd have probably had an utterly different experience than your son. The only time I work with Kers now is as enrichment to the K-2 scope in my area and since my goal is to stretch them a bit, we don't abide by whatever the state is calling kindergarten. Even if you don't want to disrupt what he's doing in class, I'd recommend advancing one or two aspects of his math education to keep his interest piqued and prevent him from shutting down. Geometry could be a great place to start since most K-6 treatments of geometry are pretty pathetic/underdeveloped.

 

He did some geometry in kindergarten--has he learned about 2d and 3d shapes? If not, there are dozens, so introduce them. Learn the names of them and the categories so that you two can work on how to classify shapes. You may feel more comfortable going further into Geometry than you would arithmetic for the purposes of not disrupting your sons class room experience, fine. Geometry may be a nice diving-in spot--some place that you can go deep and wide for a while without bothering anything else. I would also include something like graphs/graphing or sets, because those are topics usually covered much later or very little if at all in 1st grade.

 

Learn 2d and 3d shapes, count how many sides there are, talk about edges and vertices, find the shapes in real life, observe them in drawings and try to draw them, learn the names of each shape and how to read and spell those words.

Talk about lines, rays, and points.

Introduce the XY coordinate plane and show him how to define points

You can play Go Fish, Memory match and old maid with the home made cards

You can explore the perimeter and area of 2d shapes with him and talk about how 3d shapes have volume.

 

I would play lots of math fact games and probably introduce the modern day equivalent of The Sock Game because he will probably enjoy it and its very easy to let the game grow with his math skills.

Does he know how to check his work by using the inverse? (6-4 = 2 --> 2 + 4 =6)

Does he know how to count? (forward, backward, by 2s, 3s, 4s, etc...) Does he truly understand place value? Does he know complements?

Does he have an idea about integers? (signed numbers: -5 and 5)

Equivalent Equations (3+5 = 4+4 =7+1 = 6+2, but not mentioning 8)

Do you have any of those base-ten paper cut outs or blocks? Get some and explore larger numbers (restraining kids to 10 is a little sad) into the thousands.

They make expanded form/place value very clear and easy to get.

Can he count hours? Does he like math puzzles?

 

I made most the math props that I use when working with elementary level kids because I just teach to the kid and use the games that mama made up and taught us when we were little.