Teaching Math to Young Children for Families and Caregivers
These videos and activities provide families with information about how to support children as they practice math skills at home.
Observe and build on what your child knows
Overview
Children develop knowledge at different times and at different paces. Progress monitoring is a practice that teachers use to understand what a child knows and can do. Progress monitoring helps teachers tailor instruction to the child’s needs and identify activities that help children learn math concepts and skills that are appropriately challenging.
Progress monitoring relies on regularly observing children’s developing skills. Family members and caregivers can make these observations throughout the day while children are eating, playing, and following their regular routines.
Videos
Use Progress Monitoring to Build on What Children Know
This video introduces ways to use progress monitoring to ensure that math instruction builds on what each child knows.
Quick Tips, Resources and Activities
Observing Throughout The Day
Quick Tips:
- Just asking simple questions like “How did you know that? How did you figure that out?” or asking children to help with counting or sorting provides information about children’s developing math skills. Understanding what your child knows and building on that knowledge helps to ensure that the activities you do are meaningful and engaging and keep your child learning.
Handouts:
This information was prepared by Regional Educational Laboratories Appalachia, Central, and Northwest