Why is it important for my child to learn math?
Math skills are important to a child’s success – both at
school and in everyday life. Understanding math also
builds confidence and opens the door to a range of
our everyday lives, understanding math enables us
manage time and money, and handle everyday
situations that involve numbers (for example,
calculate how much time we need to get to work, how
much food we need in order to feed our families, and
how much money that food will cost);
understand patterns in the world around us and make
predictions based on patterns (for example, predict
traffic patterns to decide on the best time to
solve problems and make sound decisions;
explain how we solved a problem and why we made a
technology (for example, calculators and computers)
to help solve problems.
How will my child learn math?
Children learn math best through activities that encourage
think about what they are exploring;
solve problems using information they have gathered
explain how they reached their solutions.
Children learn easily when they can connect math concepts and
procedures to their own experience. By using common
household objects (such as measuring cups and spoons in
the kitchen) and observing everyday events (such as
weather patterns over the course of a week), they can
"see" the ideas that are being taught.
An important part of learning math is learning how to solve
problems. Children are encouraged to use trial and error
to develop their ability to reason and to learn how to
go about problem solving. They learn that there may be
more than one way to solve a problem and more than one
answer. They also learn to express themselves clearly as
they explain their solutions.
At school, children learn the concepts and skills identified
for each grade in the Ontario mathematics curriculum in
five major areas, or strands, of mathematics. The names
of the five strands are: Number Sense and Numeration,
Measurement, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Patterning and
Algebra, and Data Management and Probability. You will
see these strand names on your child’s report card. The
activities in this guide are connected with the
different strands of the curriculum.
tips can I use to help my child?
positive about math!
your child know that everyone can learn math.
your child know that you think math is important and
Point out the ways in which different family members
use math in their jobs.
positive about your own math abilities. Try to avoid
saying "I was never good at math" or "I never liked
Encourage your child to be persistent if a problem
Praise your child when he or she makes an effort,
and share in the excitement when he or she solves a
problem or understands something for the first time.
math part of your child’s day.
Point out to your child the many ways in which math
is used in everyday activities.
Encourage your child to tell or show you how he or
she uses math in everyday life.
Include your child in everyday activities that
involve math – making purchases, measuring
ingredients, counting out plates and utensils for
Play games and do puzzles with your child that
They may focus on direction or time, logic and
reasoning, sorting, or estimating.
math problems with your child for fun.
addition to math tools, such as a ruler and a
calculator, use handy household objects, such as a
measuring cup and containers of various shapes and
sizes, when doing math with your child.
Encourage your child to give explanations
When your child is trying to solve a problem, ask
what he or she is thinking. If your child seems
puzzled, ask him or her to tell you what doesn't
make sense. (Talking about their ideas and how they
reach solutions helps children learn to reason
Suggest that your child act out a problem to solve
it. Have your child show how he or she reached a
conclusion by drawing pictures and moving objects as
well as by using words.
Treat errors as opportunities to help your child
learn something new.
math activities can I do with my child?
1. Understanding Numbers
Numbers are used to describe quantities, to count, and to
add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Understanding
numbers and knowing how to combine them to solve
problems helps us in all areas of math.
Count toys, kitchen utensils, and items of clothing as
they come out of the dryer. Help your child count by
pointing to and moving the objects as you say each
number out loud. Count forwards and backwards from
different starting places. Use household items to
practise adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
counting songs and read counting books. Every culture has counting songs, such as "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe"
and "Ten Little Monkeys", which make learning to count –
both forwards and backwards – fun for children. Counting
books also capture children’s imagination, by using
pictures of interesting things to count and to add.
Discover the many ways in which numbers are used inside
and outside your home.
Take your child on a "number hunt" in your home or
neighbourhood. Point out how numbers are used on the
television set, the microwave, and the telephone. Spot
numbers in books and newspapers. Look for numbers on
signs in your neighbourhood. Encourage your child to
tell you whenever he or she discovers a new way in which
numbers are used.
your child to help you solve everyday number problems. "We need six tomatoes to make our sauce for dinner, and we
have only two. How many more do we need to buy?" "You
have two pillows in your room and your sister has two
pillows in her room. How many pillowcases do I need to
wash?" "Two guests are coming to eat dinner with us. How
many plates will we need?"
Practise "skip counting".
Together, count by 2’s and 5’s. Ask your child how far
he or she can count by 10’s. Roll two dice, one to
determine a starting number and the other to determine
the counting interval. Ask your child to try counting
backwards from 10, 20, or even 100.
games using dice and playing cards. Try rolling dice and adding or multiplying the numbers that come up.
Add up the totals until you reach a target number, like
100. Play the game backwards to practise subtraction.
Pretend that the number 8 key on the calculator is
broken. Without it, how can you make the number 18
appear on the screen? (Sample answers: 20 – 2, 15 + 3).
Ask other questions using different "broken" keys.
2. Understanding Measurements
We use measurements to determine the height, length, and
width of objects, as well as the area they cover, the
volume they hold, and other characteristics. We measure
time and money. Developing the ability to estimate and
to measure accurately takes time and practice.
items found around the house.
Have your child find objects that are longer or shorter
than a shoe or a string or a ruler. Together, use a shoe
to measure the length of a floor mat. Fill different
containers with sand in a sandbox or with water in the
bath, and see which containers hold more and which hold
Estimate the number of steps from your front door to the
edge of your yard, then walk with your child to find out
how many there really are, counting steps as you go.
Estimate how many bags of milk your family will need for
the week. At the end of the week, count up the number of
bags you actually used. Estimate the time needed for a
trip. If the trip is expected to take 25 minutes, when
do you have to leave? Have your child count the number
of stars he or she can draw in a minute. Ask if the
total is more or less than your child thought it would
and organize household items.
Take cereal boxes or cans of vegetables from the
cupboard and have your child line them up from tallest
Ask your child to check the time on the clock when he or
she goes to school, eats meals, and goes to bed.
Together, look up the time of a television program your
child wants to watch. Record on a calendar the time of
your child’s favourite away-fromhome activity.
record of the daily temperature outside and of your
child’s outdoor activities.
After a few weeks, ask your child to look at the record
and see how the temperature affected his or her
your child in activities that involve measurements. Have your child measure the ingredients in a recipe, or the
length of a bookshelf you plan to build. Trade equal
amounts of money. How many pennies do you need to trade
for a nickel? for a dime?
3. Understanding Geometry
The ability to identify and describe shapes, sizes,
positions, directions, and movement is important in many
work situations, such as construction and design, as
well as in creating and understanding art. Becoming
familiar with shapes and spatial relationships in their
environment will help children grasp the principles of
geometry in later grades.
Identify shapes and sizes.
When playing with your child, identify things by their
shape and size: "Pass me a sugar cube." "Take the
largest cereal box out of the cupboard."
structures using blocks or old boxes.
Discuss the need to build a strong base. Ask your child
which shapes stack easily, and why.
toy and use directional language to help your child find
Give clues using words and phrases such as up, down,
over, under, between, through, and on top of.
spy", looking for different shapes. "I spy something that is round." "I spy something that is
rectangular." "I spy something that looks like a cone."
your child to draw a picture of your street,
neighbourhood, or town.
Talk about where your home is in relation to a
neighbour’s home or the corner store. Use directional
words and phrases like beside and to the right of.
Go on a
Have your child look for as many circles, squares,
triangles, and rectangles as he or she can find in the
home or outside. Do the same with threedimensional
objects like cubes, cones, spheres, and cylinders. Point
out that street signs come in different shapes and that
a pop can is like a cylinder.
4. Understanding Patterns
We find patterns in nature, art, music, and literature. We
also find them in numbers. Patterns are at the very
heart of math. The ability to recognize patterns helps
us to make predictions based on our observations.
Understanding patterns helps prepare children for the
study of algebra in later grades.
for patterns in storybooks and songs.
Many children’s books and songs repeat lines or passages in
predictable ways, allowing children to recognize and
predict the patterns.
patterns using your body.
Clap and stomp your foot in a particular sequence (clap,
clap, stomp), have your child repeat the same sequence,
then create variations of the pattern together. Teach
your child simple dances that include repeated steps and
for patterns around your house and your neighbourhood.
Your child will find patterns in clothing, in wallpaper, in
tiles, on toys, and among trees and flowers in the park.
Encourage your child to describe the patterns found. Try
to identify the features of the pattern that are
household items to create and extend patterns. Lay down a row of spoons pointing in different directions in a
particular pattern (up, up, down, up, up, down) and ask
your child to extend the pattern.
patterns created by numbers.
Write the numbers from 1 to 100 in rows of 10 (1 to 10
in the first row, 11 to 20 in the second row, and so
on). Note the patterns that you see when you look up and
down, across, or diagonally. Pick out all the numbers
that contain a 2 or a 7.
5. Understanding and managing data
Every day we are presented with a vast amount of information,
much of it involving numbers. Learning to collect,
organize, and interpret data at an early age will help
children develop the ability to manage information and
make sound decisions in the future.
As your child tidies up toys or clothing, discuss which items
should go together and why. Show your child how you
organize food items in the fridge – fruit together,
vegetables together, drinks on one shelf, condiments on
another. Encourage your child to sort other household
items – crayons by colour, cutlery by type or shape,
coins by denomination.
Have your child draw pictures on a calendar to record each
day’s weather. At the end of the month, make a picture
graph showing how many sunny days, cloudy days, and
rainy days there were in that month.
Create a chart to record the number of apples, oranges,
bananas, and other fruit your family eats each day. At
the end of the month, have your child count the number
of pieces of each type of fruit eaten. Ask how many more
of one kind of fruit were eaten than of another. What
was your family’s least favourite fruit that month?
about the likelihood of events.
Have your child draw pictures of things your family does
often, things you do sometimes, and things you never do.
Discuss why you never do some things (swim outside in
January). Ask your child if it’s likely to rain today.
Is it likely that a pig will fly through the kitchen
Where can I get help?
Many people are willing to support you in helping your child
learn math, and there are also many resources available.
Your Child’s Teacher
Your child’s teacher can provide advice about
helping your child with math. Here are some topics
you could discuss with the teacher:
your child’s level of performance in math
goals your child is working towards in math, and how
you can support your child in achieving them
strategies you can use to assist your child in areas
that he or she finds difficult
activities to work on at home with your child
other resources, such as books, games, and websites