There are some nifty little manipulatives out there for teaching geometry shapes.  Children grasp mathematics so much better when the program has a hands-on element.  By viewing helpful charts, handling foam “flash cards”, or putting together 3-D models of geometry shapes, children can learn important concepts with ease.

A chart of geometric shapes should of course include the common ones: triangle, square, circle, rectangle, trapezoid, and rhombus.  It can also show other more unusual shapes such as the irregular quadrilateral, the trapezium, the curvilinear triangle, the quatrefoil, or the decagon.  Adding these unusual and interesting shape names makes the exercise more enjoyable for students.

A set of foam geometry shapes can be made extra helpful when each side is printed … Read the rest of this post…

The concept of fractions is one that children are able to grasp fairly early, especially with manipulatives.  It is possible to begin teaching fractions to students as young as first grade  Teaching fractions with the help of manipulatives is very straightforward and the youngsters will be able to easily grasp the concepts of fractions parts, fractions notation, and even fractional parts of numbers.

Begin teaching fractions with halves and wholes.  Children most likely already have an idea of the meaning of half, since it is a common part of everyday vocabulary they are exposed to.  They may be given half a glass of juice for breakfast, eat half a sandwich for lunch, or walk halfway upstairs.  Explain that to make … Read the rest of this post…

When purchasing math supplies for the elementary classroom there are three general things the teacher should look for.  He or she will want math manipulatives to complement the curriculum, math flash cards for drill work and games, and plenty of math board games for fun.

The type and quantity of manipulatives needed will vary with the curriculum used and the teaching style of the teacher.  Generally, though, for kindergarten through third grade the following types of manipulatives are helpful: Counters (such as bears, disks, dry beans or the like), base ten cubes (one centimeter unit cubes, ten centimeter rods, etc.), paper fraction shapes, foam geometry shapes, solids of different sizes and colors for teaching size comparison and color matching, … Read the rest of this post…

Math activities involve kids in something fun that happens to build in practice of a math skill along the way.  When kids go back to “regular math” worksheets and problem solving after these fun activities, regular math is easier because of the skills they’ve practiced.  Math activities are a fun way to make math less painful.

Math activities for young children can be simple and indirect like dot to dots and color by numbers for counting and number recognition.  They can also be more explicit and hands-on such as counting M & M’s onto a plate, then counting backwards as they eat them one by one.  Another great math activity for young children is “Mother May I”.  With this activity, … Read the rest of this post…

For helping kindergartners learn their math, manipulatives such as math counters are fantastic.  Besides learning to count and make simple additions and subtractions, students are also at the stage of learning what number symbols mean.  They are also little children and learn best with lots of hands on and fun activities.

Some very popular math counters are those shaped like little teddy bears of all different colors.  The cute faces of the bears and their satisfying chunky shape and texture and weight in the hand make them fun for children to work with right as they are.  Teachers can also make up little stories about the bears involving simple math problems.  There are similar counters available shaped like other animals, … Read the rest of this post…

Strengths:

I believe that math manipulatives are an absolute must for kindergarten through third grade.  Children are able to learn and understand so many math concepts with the hands-on use of manipulatives.  I also happen to love Saxon Math and think the manipulatives that go with their kindergarten through third grade math sets are wonderful.  Saxon Math K is almost completely taught with manipulatives and doesn’t even have student workbooks.  The Saxon Math Manipulatives continue to be a huge part of learning math concepts for first through third grades.

A wonderful thing about the Saxon Math Manipulatives is that once you purchase a set for a specific grade, you don’t have to buy a whole new complete set for the … Read the rest of this post…

This article presents 4 ideas for using Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks Set.

Pattern blocks are great learning tools that teach kids about geometric shapes, shape and size relations, and of course patterns. There are great games you can play, and kids will learn a lot from open-ended experimentation, as well. Magnetic pattern block sets, such as the ones from Melissa and Doug are a convenient way to play since the pieces “stick” in place and reduce the frustration kids sometimes experience when the pieces go sliding away all over the place after they’ve carefully laid them down.

PATTERN CARDS
Most pattern blocks sets come with pattern cards for the kids to imitate. This is a great source of ideas … Read the rest of this post…

This resource is designed to be used in a classroom with students from kindergarten to grade 3, however it can easily be adapted for a homeschool environment.  Investigating with Pattern Blocks provides easy to follow instructions for hands-on activities that incorporate the use of pattern block manipulatives.  The layout of this resource is very comprehensible and requires little preparation on the part of the teacher in planning and in preparations.

Strengths:
As I have worked through this resource with my own children, I have found  that the activities within it are often the highlight of their school day.  The fact that all of the the activities require the use of brightly colored pattern blocks brings out their initial excitement.  But … Read the rest of this post…