A Look at Learning

Tips for parents; From Mrs Ahumada

Tips for Kindergarten Parents for Mathematics

Patterns

• Identifying and discussing patterns in and around your home such as lounge or bed linen material colours or shapes. For example, blue square – yellow circle, blue square – yellow circle, blue square – yellow circle
• Gather collections of small items to make patterns (e.g., buttons and coins; spoons of two sizes; crayons and markers). 
• Take turns arranging theobjects in a pattern for the other to describe and tell what comes next. For example: coin, coin, button, ...; big spoon, small spoon, ...; crayon, marker, marker…)
• singing songs, creating dances and readings books with repeating, rhyming or rhythmic numbers, such as There were 10 in the bed 
• Noticing patterns in nature, for example a beehive, petals on a flower
• Point out and talk about patterns around you, or in books. Look at wrapping paper or wall paper options. Discuss decorative patterns on posters and boxes.
• Point out repeating patterns in the daily routine: after fruit time there is always a story at school.
• Sing songs where there is a pattern, such as the same line or chorus repeated.
• Point out patterns in action songs or dances.
• Read stories and sing songs where there is a pattern of numbers going up or down.
• Make a staircase pattern with lego bricks, dominoes or tiles and ask children to continue it

Subtraction

• Play Snakes & Ladders or a game of skittles! 

Play a pirate treasure hunt game where you start with 10 objects and the Kraken hides some away. Keep the left overs in a box so the pirate can work out how many items have been hidden. Then go on the treasure hunt to find all the missing items! Take turns being the pirate and the Kraken. This game could be a princess and a goblin or any other characters your child likes! 

Count backwards together taking turns to say the next number. Play a guessing game. Say, ‘I’m thinking of a number. Here’s a clue: it’s the number before 5.’ Or, ‘I’m thinking of a number. Here’s a clue: it’s the number after 21.’

Draw a noughts and crosses grid and place a number in the middle. See if you can figure which numbers would go above, below, and either side of the number in the middle. The answers are (in clockwise direction from the top) 10 less than, 1 more than, 10 more than, 1 less than. Use a 100s chart to help you.

When you’re at the shops, ask your child to count the number of items in the basket. Ask questions like, ‘How many will there be if we put back 1 item? After we put 5 items on the counter, how many will be left?’

Play skittles! Write down the number of pins you start with, and take away the number you knock down. At the end, add your scores.

Tips for Year 1/2 Parents for Mathematics

Division

There are many easy ways you can support this at home.

Ask your child to practise division by sharing objects equally. For example,  share 8 objects into 2 equal groups. Using objects such as your child’s toys, items of food, or buttons helps them visualise what the calculation means and keeps them interested.

Ask your child to find out how many objects there are to begin with. Can they share the objects equally between the two of you? Help them to share objects one at a time between the two groups. When all the objects have been shared, ask your child how many there are in each group. If you have the same number, explain that your child has shared the objects equally into two groups which is the same as dividing by two. 

If you do not have the same number, ask your child if the objects have been shared equally. For example, “We started with 11 objects and shared them into two groups. I have 6 objects and you have 5 objects. Are they equal? If they are not equal then 11 cannot be shared equally into two groups so 11 cannot be divided by 2 equally using whole numbers or objects.”

SORA

Please remember that all students have access to SORA, our digital library platform. Simply access the website Here.

• ACEN Member Collection 

or select

• I have a setup code (at the bottom of the screen)

YOUR SETUP CODE IS:   CENETAU

You will be prompted to:

• Sign into your school
• Select ACEN Member Collection from the drop down menu.  
• Log in using your own personal username and password 

Username: is your school email address 

Password:  is the same password that you use to log into your Chromebooks every day at school!