Montessori Math Minute

How can you improve your child’s number skills?

Try these quick activities and find out:

Have your youngster roll two dice and count the dots. Introduce addition by asking her to choose a number to try for (say, 6). Let her toss the dice several times to find combinations that will make 6 (1 + 5, 2 + 4, 3 + 3).

Make a number line for your child by writing 1 through 10 across a strip of paper. Practice “more than” and “less than” by thinking of a number and giving hints. “My number is more than 4 but less than 8.” She can use the number line to solve the mystery – and then choose a number for you to guess.