Stars: *****
Subtitle: Early Math for Toddlers, Preschoolers and Primary School Children. A Fun and Novel Way to Teach Your Child the Fundamentals of Math.
This book is being counted towards the 888 Challenge.
I picked this book up while looking for ways to teach my toddler math and boy am I glad I did. I now want to buy a copy of my own as I know I’ll be referring to it often in the next 5 or so years.
Summary: Marshmallow Math provides many quick, simple, and fun activities for you and your child to do together. The activities are appropriate for children ranging in age from toddler through to primary school. Hands-on learning and mental math are emphasized over written work and traditional exercises. Many of the activities described in the book involve the use of counting objects such as marhsmallows, pennies or jellybeans. Haivng physical objects to look at, pick up, and count will help to make abstract concepts more concrete for your child. The unique approach set out in Marshamallow Math will help to ensure that your child truly comprehends fundamental number concepts and masters basic math skills. This will give your child both the ability and the confidence to excel in math.
The book has 50 chapters separated into 4 sections: Off and Counting, More than Arithmetic, Taking it Higher and Extreme Math. Below is what sort of math to expect in each section:
Off and Counting: basic counting, introduction to addition and subtraction.
More than Arithmetic: Patterns, spatial awareness, telling time, sorting and comparing, geometry and learing to read and write numerals.
Taking it Higher: Mental Math, further develop counting, adding and subtracting.
Extreme Math: Multiplying, Dividing, Fractions, Odd and Even, place value etc..
NOTE about Extreme Math from Book:
“The following chapters go well beyond what is generally expected of grade one students. The reason for including the following chapters in this book is because the same approach to teachign basic concepts, using counting objects such as macaroni noodles, pennies, or jellybeans works so very well when teaching more advanced concepts.”– pg 119
The ideas in this book are awesome and any child would think them fun. I think if math was taught this way there wouldn’t be so many kids who hate math.
Whether you are homeschooling, your child just isn’t in school yet but you want to get started on math concepts with them or your child is in preschool, Kindergarten or Grade 1 and just want to supplement what the teacher is teaching, this book is for you.
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