In mathematics, your
child is learning how to count backwards. Many children find counting backwards
much more difficult than counting forwards.
Here are some things
you can do to help your child learn and practice this skill.
Keep
score … backwards!
Count backwards every
time you make a catch or hit a ball when you play games such as catch or table
tennis. Start at 5, 10, or 20 and play until you reach 0. Did someone drop or
miss the ball? Don’t start counting back from the last number—count forwards
two numbers first! For example, if someone misses the ball at 11, start
counting back again from 13. (Your child knows how to count forwards two
numbers, so let him/her do it!)
Count
down the time
Next time you use a
timer around the house (for example, the microwave), tell your child how you
know when the time is almost up. Watch and chant the last 10 or 20 seconds of
the countdown together.
Play
After or Before
This game can be played
individually or as a team. You will need a deck of cards. Start by removing all
the face cards (King, Queen, Jack) from the deck.
Goal:
To place all 40 cards into one of five piles.
To
play:
- Put the
deck face down and place the top five cards face up on the table. These
cards start the five piles.
- Turn
over the next card. What number is it? If it is the number after or the number before the top card in any pile,
add it to that pile. Otherwise, put it in a discard pile.
- Keep
turning cards over and putting them in the appropriate piles until the
deck runs out. Then repeat with the cards in the discard pile (and start a
new discard pile).
- Keep
playing with the cards in the discard pile. Eventually, you will have
placed all the cards into one of the five piles or you will have some
cards left over. The goal is to finish with as few cards as possible.
Wait
or go?
Some pedestrian traffic
signals include a countdown. If you see such a signal, point out to your child
when the countdown starts. Have your child watch the countdown and count
backwards with it. Discuss how the countdown helps pedestrians cross the street
safely. How do the lights change when the number reaches zero? How does knowing
that nine is far from zero but two is close to zero help you decide if you have
enough time to cross the street or if you should wait?
