We all want the best for our kids. The jump from kindergarten to first grade (Primary 1) can be a tough transition so it’s only natural to want to help. If you are looking for ways to help your kid master counting and number patterns, extra practice and math home tuition can help. In today’s post, we’ll share three top activities that you can start using today!
Our counting and number pattern activities will help your kid strengthen their number sense and improve their ability to count and identify number patterns. We’ll explain exactly what you need for each activity and how to introduce it to your child, just like they’d experience at any top math tuition center in Singapore.
#1.
Post-it Number Line
If you’re looking for a quick and simple math activity that will help your kid
with their counting, look no further. The Post-it Number line is a simple
indoor learning activity that your first grader will love!
What you’ll need:
- Paper
- Masking tape
- Post-it notes
- Marker pen
This game is perfect for home maths tuition as it’s simple to set up and easy to introduce. To keep things simple, use the masking tape to stick some white paper on any wall in your home. Make sure to test a little bit of tape first to ensure it doesn’t mark or damage your walls!
Using the white paper as a backing sheet, draw a long horizontal line and mark it off with numbers to 10, 20 or whichever number you want to target.
Grab the Post-it notes and write a number on each one. Stick them to the wall around the number line and ask your kid to arrange them in order on the number line.
This fun activity helps strengthen your kids’ number sense, especially if you ask them to count aloud as they position the numbers. Before long, they’ll be confidently counting to 100 or more with ease and soaring towards meeting their P1 math targets!
#2. Floor
ten frame
Never heard of a ten frame? Ten Frames make counting and developing number
sense a breeze. They help kids visualize the numbers as they count them and
quickly develop their counting and number pattern skills.
What you’ll need:
- Masking tape
- items to count
Use the masking tape and create a frame with ten equal spaces on the floor. This will help your child review counting up to ten different numbers at a time.
To start with, ask your kid to count to ten and place the same number of objects in each square. Let’s say you use marbles. They’d put one marble in the first square, two marbles in the second and so on.
You can also use the Post-it notes from the first activity. Give your kid the numbers 1-10 and ask them to arrange them in the correct order in the ten frame.
To help your child develop their number sense further you can ask them questions as you go. For instance, when they’ve counted to 5 you can ask “How many more do you need to get to 10?”.
Don’t forget, the same ten frame can be used to teach numbers up to 100, too! You can use any group of 10 numbers such as 20 – 29, or 40 – 49, and see if your child can arrange them. You can even mix things up and start from a random number. For instance, hand your kid the numbers 26 to 35 written on Post-it notes and ask them to arrange them correctly. They’ll be counting confidently to 100 in no time!
#3.
Paper clip skip counting
An important first-grade skill is skip-counting by 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s.
This will help them develop their knowledge of times tables as they get older.
Believe it or not, paper plates and paper clips are one of the simplest ways of
helping your kid develop their skip counting skills. This activity also helps
develop their fine motor skills as well.
What you’ll need:
- Paper plates
- Paper clips (multicolored)
- Pen
Start by counting in 2s. Grab a paper plate and write the two times table around the outside, leaving space for two clips in between each number. You’d write the numbers 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20.
Ask your kid to clip on two paper clips between each number. When they’re finished, help them count around in 2s. This activity is super effective and is used by many math home tutors in Singapore as it’s sensory as well as visual, so it works for learners who are visual learners. Kids can use their finger and touch the clips as they count, helping to reinforce what they are doing.
Once your child is confidently skip-counting in 2s, you can move onto more challenging tasks such as counting by 5s, then 10s, then 3s. Before long, they’ll be a skip counting wizard!
We suggest trying skip counting by 10s first as kids generally find this easier. Move to 5s next, before tackling 3s. Skip counting can be a challenge but don’t worry, they’ll get there! This activity can easily be packed up to play on the go when you travel.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a busy parent trying to help out your kid or you’re looking
around for the best math home tuition Singapore, these three simple and fun
counting and number pattern activities should help your kid thrive in Primary
1. The key to success is making the practice as fun as possible and being
consistent. Doing five or ten minutes of practice every evening is better than
doing an hour’s worth once per week. Regular practice will help your kid master
counting and develop skip counting superpowers!
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