need math for this kid - help!

[ktgrok]

First, I don't particularly care if he does ANY math. He's 5, and technically preschool age according to the cut off here. But, he loves math. He loves numbers. He loves playing with them if that makes sense. 

 

So he's already saying things like, "3 can't make 13, but you can use four 3s to make 12". Factoring! Multiplication! And lots of building 10's, etc. 

 

He plays on Dragon Box Big numbers a lot. But he wants to do "real math" like his sister. I got him CLE 100 to try, but on the one hand it is WAY too easy, and on the other hand has lots of writing of numbers that he isn't ready to do yet. He gets angry about it being too easy, and then gets angry that his numbers don't look good enough. 

 

Oh, and gets REALLY angry that I have to read the directions to him and tell him what to do - he thinks that is "helping" and "cheating" and he wants to do it himself. Sigh. 

 

Obviously, the real problem is he isn't developmentally ready to do sit down workbook math!!! But by the time he is, most of it will be way too easy. On the other hand I don't want to skip basics that he needs to know. 

 

I have no idea what to do. 

 

Is there another app he could play with? Or something more child directed? Or....I don't know???? 

 

To make the harder this is my VERY sensitive child...he cries at least 3-4 times a day over little things, sometimes more. He just is SO easily upset and has SUCH big feelings. So, yeah.

 

Any thoughts?

[HomeAgain]

I would do one of these:

 

Life of Fred - simple to read to him, throws out lots of different math topics in one book, and short questions at the end of each lesson.

 

Gattegno - all hands on, uses c-rods, introduces all four operations in book 1 and continues with larger numbers in book 2.

 

Beast Academy 2A, done orally

 

[SilverMoon]

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Edited July 6 by SilverMoon

[alisoncooks]

Maybe get the HIG for SM1 and play some of the math games there. My oldest loved those card games (finding the missing number in a bond, etc).

[blondeviolin]

Miquon

[kristinainar]

You could try the games from Addition Facts That Stick and/or Subtraction Facts That Stick by Kate Snow. We did part of each book for kindergarten last year (addition and subtraction through ten) and have brought them back out for first grade this year. The games have been a huge hit with my daughter (you could skip the review sheets or do them orally). We also use and enjoy Daily Word Problems by Evan Moor. My daughter is constantly asking for word problems and it has addition, subtraction, simple factoring, etc.

[PeterPan]

He's preK, right? All this stuff he's figuring out is a combo of his precociousness plus the app access. So continue to give him access to a variety of living math sources. He's ready for the Sir Cumference series and other living math picture books. Amazon.com: sir cumference series  Those might be just enough to get his brain going farther. Is he playing any math games? There's a Ticket to Ride Jr. if he's not ready for regular. The math is in the scoring. Clumsy Thief is good. Anything from the Family Math books will be good.

 

CLE seems like an odd choice. Spiral and incremental doesn't make sense for him. You'd probably do better just to do living math stuff and go directly to Beast Academy or something more interesting and appropriate. Surest way to stop his learning, which is totally self-directed due to being inspired by interesting resources, is to turn it into WORK and worksheets. :(  So keep it interesting. Games, apps, living math books. Hold off written math. He doesn't need it to progress.

 

Have you done any origami? Games with fractions?  

 

24 Game: 48 Card Deck, Single Digit cards Math Game

 

Loose Change

 

CLUMSY THIEF - Adding to 100 Game

[goldenecho]

I would get him as many math manipulative as you can, even if you don't get the things that go with them.  I'd go to your library and see what type of fun math books they have and read him everything you can get--especially any type of math puzzle. 

 

I agree with Addition Facts/Subtraction Facts That Stick (it's math games and visual math).   Right Start Math might also be a good fit (the games and some of their manipulatives if nothing else).

 

If you think he still needs any understanding of place value, I would look at the free sample video on place value and maybe try and use it with him.   It's playful enough to be good with his age (https://mathusee.com/parents/why-math-u-see/demonstration-video/).

 

 

 

 

 

[ktgrok]

Thank you all! I did CLE just because it's what I used with the other kids, lol. But...they were not into math like he is. Oldest NEEDED the spiral, and middle did well with it. This kid..this kid makes leaps, not regular progress. It's a bit intimidating. I think Beast Academy is exactly the right thing, just not sure when to start it. I don't want to frustrate him by doing it too early. 

 

I had forgotten about the living math books, I'll do that for sure. 

Games are trickier....he gets SO competitive and cries when he doesn't win. It's an issue we are working on. We tried cooperative games instead but he still kept trying to "win". Sigh. 

 

Manipulative are a good idea, that he can just play with. He found a minute hourglass the other day and played with it a long time, and that was perfect because he's always asking me how long a minute is, how long an hour is, etc. 

[prairiewindmomma]

What about c-rods and the Education Unboxed videos?

[PeterPan]

Unfortunately we've had to do a lot of strategies to deal with not losing well. I paid people to play with him as part of his ABA, and that helped. Cooperative games helped. Amazon.com: Family Pastimes Secret Door - An Award Winning Co-operative Mystery Game: Toys & Games  This is the game that finally helped us beat it. This company (Family Pastimes) makes more games. They have one with horses that we enjoyed, but really The Secret Door is just fab. I laminated all the pieces and used a velcro dot to make the door stay on better. You'll see. Play it till you die and can't stand it anymore. 

 

I don't know why it worked for us. We had played SO many games before. I think it was that this particular game has such a short cycle (just 5-10 minutes) that he got the chance to experience losing (or winning) over and over and over. Like we could play it 3-4 rounds in a normal amount of time. So that was more effective for getting a breakthrough than playing ONE game that you're really emotionally wrapped up in and keeling over about when you lose. 

 

Well that and he figured out I'm horrific at losing. Once he get better at it than me, then he was like WOW Mom, you're horrible at losing. After that, he has had no problems.  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 

You know what else he would like? Get him a real measuring tape, like one from Sears or Home Depot that measures to 20'. My kids LOVED those. And get him the mass scales to weigh things. Sciencent 6 Piece Math Economy Hanging Spring Scale Set  These are what I have. They're intrinsically fascinating. I have a small, maybe $10 digital scale that my ds is crazy for too. Just let him explore. He'll figure out decimals, fractions, all sorts of things. 

[kbutton]

I'll second Miquon.

 

 

[medawyn]

Miquon + a set of number stamps

[Sarah0000]

Miquon. He doesn't need to be able to read or write much to do most of the workbook. You could also look at activity books for c rods, pattern blocks, and geoboards. Is he willing to trace? If so the beginning Kumon math books might appeal to him, especially the topics like telling time and counting coins.

[fralala]

I will just warn you that, while I love c-rods, Gattegno, and Miquon, they are not for all kids. Alas. I have one very abstract thinker and one very visual thinker, and both quickly grew impatient with concrete manipulatives. (I, meanwhile, still sit at the table and play with them with my preschooler.) So if you have a way to test that before investing in it, do.

 

As for games, why not just let him win? I wouldn't say this for a 7 year old or older, but for a young 5 year old? If it's between enjoying math games and not, at least you get to model sportsmanship. (To some degree. As PeterPan mentioned, our kids are going to notice sooner or later that we don't exactly enjoy losing either!)

[daijobu]

Penrose the Cat

Family Math  

Number Devil

[PeterPan]

I will just warn you that, while I love c-rods, Gattegno, and Miquon, they are not for all kids. Alas. I have one very abstract thinker and one very visual thinker, and both quickly grew impatient with concrete manipulatives. (I, meanwhile, still sit at the table and play with them with my preschooler.) So if you have a way to test that before investing in it, do.

 

As for games, why not just let him win? I wouldn't say this for a 7 year old or older, but for a young 5 year old? If it's between enjoying math games and not, at least you get to model sportsmanship. (To some degree. As PeterPan mentioned, our kids are going to notice sooner or later that we don't exactly enjoy losing either!)

 

This is SO true. He's already doing the math semi-abstractly with the apps. He probably won't need the c-rods. You could get him a soroban. There's a book that has a soroban and problems to solve. I've got it downstairs and am too lazy to go look at the title. I don't think it says soroban, but that's basically what it is. The book is blue, with a hard cover, and it includes the small soroban. 

 

As far as the losing, the issue for my ds was that he was having extreme behaviors when he realized he was losing too, so it was hard to recover. We had to have lots of strategies, like trading sides, etc. Sometimes even when you try to lose you win. :(  So it just depends on how severe the behaviors are. There's a reason my ds is diagnosed.  :lol: