Manipulatives okay?

[WahM]

Is it okay to let your child use manipulatives for problems that do not say to use them or have pictures for them? My dc is in 1st grade math and she knows some math facts, but not all yet, not close, but if she has a manipulative (abacus/c-rods) she enjoys the math so much better, actually has fun doing it, and understands it. So is there any reason I should not let her use them, and "drill" the facts more. I'd much prefer not to, but I guess I am just second guessing myself letting her have them for problems where, I guess, they should be able to do them with out pictures or manipulatives.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

Absolutely! I let my girls use them whenever they want - even my 4th grader. It helps them understand the problem. If my 1st grader gets stuck I'll remind her to use the abacus or even just her fingers. Sometimes all she has to do is look at the abacus and she instantly knows the answer. We have an old set of Mortinson (sp?) math blocks (like Math-U-See) and an abacus like the Right Start one with the blue and yellow beads. I'm fine with them using them whenever they want. Eventually they get so familiar with the facts that it's faster to do their math without them.  

 

Oh....I do a little bit of drill also but try to keep it really short. I do just a few related flashcards at a time until they're well known and then add only a few new ones at a time. I usually also do the drills at a different time of day. Math books in the morning and drill in the afternoon. The drill time usually takes less than 5 minutes and involves different things on a rotating basis - speed drills (I don't time them because it stresses them out), flashcards, and counting (forwards, backwards, by 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's 10's, whatever we need at the time). Each thing ends up getting done a couple of times a week.

[Ellie]

For a 6yo? Sure, no problem. :-)

[OneStepAtATime]

I vote yes, too.  They are still trying to fully conceptualize math at that age.  Manipulatives for some kids are the very best way for them to gain understanding.  I wish I had used manipulatives more when my kids were younger.  Now we are having to go back to really solidify basic concepts.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Yes! And don't sell them - might pop up again in, say, 6th grade, albeit with a different level of understanding. Where else but HS would a kid say "Hey! My old MATH toys!"

[brehon]

Is it okay to let your child use manipulatives for problems that do not say to use them or have pictures for them? My dc is in 1st grade math and she knows some math facts, but not all yet, not close, but if she has a manipulative (abacus/c-rods) she enjoys the math so much better, actually has fun doing it, and understands it. So is there any reason I should not let her use them, and "drill" the facts more. I'd much prefer not to, but I guess I am just second guessing myself letting her have them for problems where, I guess, they should be able to do them with out pictures or manipulatives.

 

Absolutely no reason to not let your dd use manipulatives. I don't use math drill (i.e., flashcards or such; I do use Singapore's mental math problems) for my kids and have found for my olders that the math fact knowledge came more naturally and sticks with them better because they were encouraged to use their manipulatives.

[WahM]

Okay, that's great! I was hoping it was okay since she has so much fun using them. I do notice during games she will call it the answer to some that I didn't even realize she knew, but for her worksheets I think she prefers to use them to spice it up a little since the page might look 'boring' haha!

[Spy Car]

My suggestion would be to ask your daughter to "explain" the reasoning behind the problems she solves using the manipulatives, to show that she understands the work and can clearly articulate the stratagies and methods shes's employing. This helps cement the conceptual understanding, while also building a bank of "math fact" awareness organically through use.

 

The only possible downside of using manipulatives is using them "mindlessly" as a primitive form of calculator to get "right answers" without thinking about why? and how? the solution was arrived at.

 

In truth, I'd bet "pure mindlessness" rarely happens, but I think there is a continuum in manipulative use that ranges from "an outstanding tool "to "somewhat of a crutch."

 

By having answers that are solved using manipulatives explicitly explained by the studen, including talking through all the steps in the problem solving strategy, you keep manipulative use on the highly positive end of the continuum.

 

Don't think there is only a binary choice between "using manipulatives freely" and "drilling math facts."

 

Using manipulatives, while explaining ones strategis, is an excellent bridge to the next step, which (should be) problem solving using explicitly demonstrated stratagies (in either oral or written form) without the manipulatives.

 

There is no "race" to get to the next stage. It should come naturally. But not expecting work done with manipulative to be "explained" is not the best way to progress. Taking it out really does cement the information in a way that "just getting the correct answer" likely does not.

 

Bill

[WahM]

Yes, we definitely talk through the steps of the math problems she is working on whether it's the ones she does while using the manipulatives or the ones she has already memorized. It does help to understand what is going on and why it works out that why which is why I love the manipulatives and conceptual math programs.

 

Before having my kids I taught in the local school system, but the math we used there was so different than the math I chose for my kids to use (Math Mammoth and Miquon), so I just wanted to make sure the manipulatives would not hurt them in the long run.

[Spy Car]

Yes, we definitely talk through the steps of the math problems she is working on whether it's the ones she does while using the manipulatives or the ones she has already memorized. It does help to understand what is going on and why it works out that why which is why I love the manipulatives and conceptual math programs.

 

Before having my kids I taught in the local school system, but the math we used there was so different than the math I chose for my kids to use (Math Mammoth and Miquon), so I just wanted to make sure the manipulatives would not hurt them in the long run.

Then IMO, you are definitely on the right path. Teaching for understanding is the key. "Memorized math facts" are not a subsitute for building mathematical understanding, and may (if done prematurely) mask non-comprehension with an illusion of competence.

 

There still something to be said for cultivating "automatacity" after the concepts and stratagies are mastered. There are many ways to work on this that are "fun," including games, virtual games, apps, and sometimes some children like (and benefit) from flash-cards too). You just don't want to put the cart before the horse.

 

I would keep on doing what you're doing. Using manipulates (for calculating) is something that usually falls away quite naturally as other means prove more efficient. As others have mentioned, keep them around because they may well prove useful when doing decimals or basic algebra in the future.

 

Bill