Learning Path Stones

Recognizing Patterns

Recognizing Patterns
The ability to extend, complete and duplicate patterns by determining the specific attributes of those patterns is a logical reasoning skill that forms a basis for future work in math. Recognizing patterns is also important for learning to read. Many high frequency words have similiar components (the sound "an" is in can, and hand). Recognizing these patterns helps children work out a new word faster.

Telling Time

Telling Time
Children understand time concepts (morning, yesterday) before they learn that clocks measure time. By school, they understand hours and minutes and can learn to read a clock.

Volume and Capacity

Volume and Capacity
When children first learn about volume it can be hard for them to understand that a tall thin glass and a short wide glass can hold the same volume of liquid. However, once they begin to understand the three-dimensional concepts of volume and capacity, they can begin to compare measures of liquids and solids.

Early Number Sense

Early Number Sense
As early as 6 months, babies begin to understand the concept of numbers, noticing small groups of one, two or three things. As children develop number sense they learn to count by ones, skip count and count backwards, gaining the foundation for operations. Children who have good number sense find learning operations like addition and subtraction much easier.

More Than, Less Than

More Than, Less Than
The concept of more than/less than deepens a child's number sense by teaching him to compare numbers. Children begin with informal and approximate comparisons using the terms "more" and "less"; then they learn the terms and symbols for greater than (>), less than (<) and equal to (=).

Place Value

Place Value
Fundamental to mathematics and computation, place value gives children the ability to compare tens to hundreds, hundreds to thousands, and so on - as well as to understand and count money.

Sequencing

Sequencing
Even toddlers can often recite number names in order, but the ability to compare and order numbers in sequence indicates a practical application of number concepts.

Addition

Addition
Once children know that numbers are symbols for objects (2 stands for two cars) they learn to count sets, or groups of objects, to find sums. Finally, sets of objects can be replaced by numerals and added together in equations.

Subtraction

Subtraction
The inverse of addition is subtraction - to take away objects and tell how many are left. Once children grasp subtraction, sets of objects can be replaced by numerals in equations.

Awards

• 2006 Parents' Choice Foundation, Parents' Choice Recommended Award