First Grade Math at Home

• Practice counting forward to and backward from 100, and forward or backward between any two numbers under 100. Practice when your child is bored (such as in a grocery store line or during a long car ride). Lots of praise encourages repeat performances. Count by twos, fives, and tens as well. You can begin this by using Lego-type blocks: hook multiple sets of two or five together, then count by these increments.

If your child is having a hard time with the work he brings home, try bringing a concept off the paper and into the "real" world, to help him understand it. For example, if he's struggling with a worksheet on counting the total value of small groups of change, give him actual coins to work with. If basic fractions on a homework paper are puzzling your child, cut up some construction paper to demonstrate parts of a whole; then let your daughter take apart and put together a circle cut into fourths, describing one-fourth, one-half, and three fourths.

 

Be creative in helping your child succeed at math. Most importantly, be patient; these are difficult skills, and it takes time for most children to perform them perfectly.