Math Tips for Parents, K-5: Introduction and Counting

Parents often ask us what they can do to help their children understand, master, and love math. Well, this happens to be right up our alley. In fact, it’s our mission! Our team of master educators has put together some fundamental tips and strategies that you, as parents and guardians, can use with your children. In the coming weeks and months we will share a number of recommendations in hopes that foundational knowledge can grow in your homes. By utilizing these math tips and engaging your child, you’ll help them feel more confident in math, improve their understanding, and spark their love of learning math.

The following tips are for kids in grades K-5. Parents with kids in grades 6+, check back next week for tips for you!

Counting

The most basic skills in mathematics are counting and grouping (“seeing” numbers in groups). To develop counting skills, help children learn to count from any number to any number by any number – forward and backward.

• Count by 1s, starting at 0 (0, 1, 2, 3 … 250 …)
 → then starting at any number [e.g., 28, 29, 30 … 40 …]

• Count by 2s, starting at 0 (0, 2, 4, 6 … 24 …)
 → then starting at 1 (1, 3, 5 … 25 …)
 → then starting at any number [e.g., 23, 25, 27 … 49 …]

• Count by 10s, starting at 0 (0, 10, 20 … 500 …)
 → then starting at 5 (5, 15, 25 … 205 …)
 → then starting at any number [e.g., 37, 47, 57, 67 … 347 …]

• Count by 5s, starting at 0 (0, 5, 10 … 250 … )
 → then starting at any number [e.g., 13, 18, 23, 28, … 128 …]

• Count by 1 2 s, starting at 0 (0, 1 2, 1, 11 2 … 5 …)
 → then by 1 4s, starting at 0 (0, 1 4, 2 4 [1 2], 3 4, 4 4 [1], 11 4 …)
 → then by 3 4 s starting at 0 (0, 3 4, 6 4 [11 2], 9 4 [21 4], 12 4 [3] …)

• Count by 15s, starting at 0 (0, 15, 30 …120 …)

• Count by 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 11s, 12s, 20s, 25s, 50s, 75s, 100s, and 150s, starting at 0
 → then starting at any number

🎯 The benefits of this type of counting practice are strong addition skills and the painless development of times tables.