Q: My 3-year-old daughter really loves numbers so we read number books together all the time. She can already count to 50. What should she learn next? Should we be teaching her to add?
A: What your young child has learned to do is to count rotely. This is good because she has learned the names of the numbers, and they can be used later on to describe quantities, such as four cats and seven cookies.
The next step is for your child to learn how to count sets (collections of things that belong together). This is not an easy task and requires considerable practice. Ultimately, you want your child to be able to look at a group of three pencils, three books, or three apples and know that they can all be described by the number “3.”
The rewarding part of teaching your child how to count sets is that it can be done through activities that are fun to do – thus showing your child that working with numbers is an enjoyable thing to do. Here are some suggestions:
Empty the coins out of your wallet and ask your child to divide them in groups of the same type of coins. Then have her count the number of coins in each group. At this time, you might also want to teach her the names of the coins. Make this a daily activity.
Have a Scavenger Hunt in your home. Have your child find such things as two shoes, three socks, and four books. Have your child look for only one set of objects at a time. A different version of this game is to have your child find out how many balls she has or how many spoons are in a drawer.
There are so many board games that you play with your child by tossing dice or using spinners to make moves. Instead of using these devices, make cards with dots on them that can be drawn to make moves.
Look at the pictures together when you read to your child and ask questions about them: How many people are in the car? How many birds are in the nest?
Q: My daughter is enrolled in her school’s gifted program. According to her teacher, she is displaying “stress related symptoms” and “exhibiting perfectionist tendencies.” If she doesn’t feel that she can do something perfect such as reading, answering a question, or spelling a word, her eyes will well up with tears and she will start moving about and messing with fingers or her hair.
The teacher thinks that she is under stress and should be moved to a “regular” class. I feel she could be bored. She is having a problem with phonics and reading comprehension – receiving a grade of 2 out of 3. What else should I do in addition to having her tutored on the weekend?
A: You definitely need to help relieve your daughter’s stress level. First, you need to find out exactly why she is having problems with phonics and reading comprehension.
Your daughter was recognized by the school as a gifted student. Her current difficulties in these areas could be due to a learning disability. It is not uncommon for gifted students to have learning disabilities. Just putting her into another group is not necessarily going to change her stress level or improve her reading. Don’t let the school move her back until she has been tested for a learning disability. If she does have a problem, the school will develop an individual education plan (IEP) that will provide her with the supports needed to improve her reading.
Q: My second grader is having problems at school because he doesn’t follow directions very well. The teacher says that my son seems to be paying attention but doesn’t always remember everything that he has to do especially when given a set of several directions. I’ve noticed that we often have to repeat directions to him at home. How can we help him follow directions better?
A: When you help your son get better at following directions at home it should carry over to school. Here are some tips:
Keep directions short and simple.
Don’t give too many directions at once.
Have your child repeat the directions.
Tell your child what to do rather than what not to do.
Play games that require following simple directions.
Once your child can follow simple directions, increase their complexity.
Offer genuine praise when your child follows directions.
At school, suggest to your child that he get in the habit of jotting down all the assignments that the teacher gives – just the page and exercise number. He could also repeat them to himself. Your child may pay better attention to what the teacher says if he sits in the front of the classroom.
Of course, not being able to follow directions can also be a sign of an attention deficit disorder. Even if this should be the case with your son, our tips will still help him follow directions better.
