Math help (K/1)

[SewingMom2many]

My 5 year old started MM last spring and flew through MM1A and worked at a normal pace through the first half of MM1B. Now we are stuck. He isn't getting the section we are on and when I look ahead I can see that we need to wait a little while before we go any further with MM because he just isn't ready to go on.  The things coming up are too advanced for him.

 

So what do we do in the meantime? Since he's only 5 I don't want to rush him. I also don't want to not do math at all.  Is there a curriculum that we could use to supplement MM1 that would cover some things that MM doesn't include? 

 

I like the idea MEP (have used it a little in the past) but for some reason I just can't get into it. Saxon looks interesting but kind of pricey since I just need a supplement.  Maybe Miquon? Primary Challenge Math sounds neat but maybe a little too advanced and I can't look inside the book before purchasing it.  

 

I'd really appreciate any suggestions you might have!

 

 

edited t fix typo 

[Eagle]

We got stuck for awhile in MM 1B, so we took a break and played a lot of math games (from the Peggy Kaye book and Family Math). We also played ipad math games. Instead of returning to MM after our break, we tried Miquon and found that we loved it. It has a lot of topics that MM does not cover at this early stage. Ds loves the variety. We also do lots of fun supplements: sticker math books, treasure hunt pages, logic links game, singapore's CWP. Taking the break when we were stuck was the best thing we could have done. The games and fun supplements have given ds a passion for math that wasn't there before.

[mathmarm]

My 5 year old started MM last spring and flew through MM1A and worked at a normal pace through the first half of MM1B. Now we are stuck. He isn't getting the section we are on and when I look ahead I can see that we need to wait a little while before we go any further with MM because he just isn't ready to go on.  The things coming up are too advanced for him.

What topic are you stalling on? Where is he stuck in Math Mammoth?

 

So what do we do in the meantime? Since he's only 5 I don't want to rush him. I also don't want to not do math at all.  Is there a curriculum that we could use to supplement MM1 that would cover some things that MM doesn't include?

 

I would recommend trying to breakdown what he's stuck on and then finding games and activities that address his sticking point  and allows him to work on whatever he's stuck on.

 

In the meantime, there are a variety of math enrichment games and activities out there but what I'd recommend depends on what he's able to do already and what he needs more time with.

 

Games that work on automating ten-pairs and five-pairs are nice, as are informal explorations of other topics such as negative numbers, equivalent equations, great than/less than and expanded form. Perhaps some mental math exercise or some detailed work with money? Skip counting games.

 

[Mergath]

You could always buy some of the cheap math practice workbooks that most dollar stores sell.  They would help him cement the concepts he's worked on until he's ready to move on.

 

There are some good math computer programs out there that K'ers can use, as well.  Math Seeds is fun, but probably a little behind where your son is at.  We're using Dreambox right now, which is supposedly for K-6, and dd loves it.  It's really helping her visualize all the stuff we worked on.

[Farrar]

Miquon!  Miquon!  And Rosie's videos at Education Unboxed.  :D

 

Seconding Eagle that Miquon covers a lot of topics that MM doesn't touch and in a really different way from MM.  MM is a very workhorse kind of program.  Miquon is really something different.  Very gentle, very spiral, very in depth, but in a discovery way, not like MM's super broken down steps.  But then if you felt it was time to go back to MM, it won't feel like something already covered, at least I don't think it would.

 

A resource like the Peggy Kaye book she mentioned or Family Math could also be useful.  Lots of games in there.  Or you could get the Right Start games and use them like a curriculum for awhile - lots of great practice for number bonds and making tens and all those good early concepts in the RS games.

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

I'm having that exact problem right now. My girl is 2/3 into K and we're just finishing up MM 1A, but I don't think she's ready to move on. I'm planning to do some Life of Fred mixed with some self-made reviews so that she doesn't forget what she's learned before starting MM 1B.

 

Edit: I want to add that the reason I'm choosing LoF specifically is that, while we love Math Mammoth, it's not a fun program. It's very straight forward and thorough. I need a balance.