Think like a Student to Improve Math Fluency

This past week I got to be "a student." I took an intensive math course, outlining ways to help my first-graders streamline their math skills. It gave me the opportunity to be in the position of learning new skills and information, much like my students do each day. Wow... I had forgotten how uncomfortable and scary that can be!

The easier, or more automatic your child can recall numbers, the better their math comprehension will be. Here are two simple, yet key activities to improve your young child’s math fluency. These are great activities to do when in the car.

• Counting forwards crossing "decades." Simply put, this means starting a count midway rather than by 1. For example, ask your child to count forward, starting at "23" and have them stop at "41." Crossing "decades" means that while counting forward your child has to cross over 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. With younger children start with single digit numbers until they are comfortable. Then move on to double digit numbers.
• Counting backwards crossing "decades." Most children are champs at counting forward... but often stumble when counting backwards. However, counting backwards is a key element to math fluency. It helps a child automatically know the number that comes right before any given number.

Educators often stress the importance of reading fluency for comprehension. This is also true for math. Fine-tuning these two crucial math skills will give your child a "leg-up" on their way to math fluency.