Why is Math Essential to Brain Development for Young Children
Updated: Jun 23
He who can properly define and divide is considered a God, said Plato.
We all know how important math is……… but do you know that math skills learned early in life correlates directly with brain development in adulthood? Physical skills are the foundation of what you will learn later in life! Children use early math skills EVERYDAY!
EVERYDAY whether at school or at home, in everyday life. All of these activities offer opportunities for early childhood math education if approached with the right attitude.
The first few years of a child's life are crucial for cognitive development. This is because the window of development during this period sharpens the child's ability and ability to understand complex concepts and ideas.
Ok, I get it. But Why is Math Important in Early Learning?
1.Early Predictor of Later Success
Mathematics has many advantages that many people are unaware of. It helps develop specific areas of the brain and improve analytical and logical skills. It helps students become more hands-on and useful in everyday situations. In an academic sense, mathematics is also one of the stepping stones to a person's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degree.
Learning math skills from an early age can lay the foundation for everything your child will learn in the future. Research shows that developing math skills is a better predictor of future success in reading and math than any other skill. Mathematics helps train the mind, just as exercise trains the body. Many educators believe that learning the four pillars of mathematics will help students think critically and be more swift in decision making. The Four Pillars of Math are four concepts that are essential for students to understand in order to be successful in math. These pillars are: number sense, operational sense, proportional reasoning, and algebraic reasoning. By mastering these four fundamental concepts, students will be able to solve any problem they encounter in math. In addition, the four pillars of math provide a strong foundation for students to build upon as they move on to more advanced concepts.
2. Develop Your Child’s Confidence
It’s a common experience… your child sits down to work on math homework but very quickly becomes visibly stressed, frustrated, or upset. For many kids, doing math can seem like a daunting task, even a scary one. While many do overcome it, some of us carry this lack of confidence with us for very much of our lives. If this sounds like your child, read on to find out what you can do to help them overcome their fear of factors (and multiples), and begin building confidence in math.
Learning difficult math skills boosts your child's confidence in their ability to learn difficult skills and solve life's problems. Being confident means believing that you can do something. Children who experience challenging math learning are confidently engaged in other learning activities. Confident learners have an advantage over anxious learners.
3. Develop Your Child's Problem-Solving Skills
Math class and practice are rarely at the top of the to-do list for the day. They would rather do something else than solve math problems or attend math classes. However, mathematics is an important part of a child's education and it is very important that children learn mathematics and do well in the subject. Special attention should be paid to math problems. First, we will look at simple math problems so that children can understand them better.
Solving math problems helps your child build confidence in the subject and develop various skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These are great tools to help kids apply and learn to solve different math problems. Solving problems helps kids to think out of the box scenarios to come up with logical solutions to problems. Math problems for kids enables them to manage time, speed and accuracy while solving any equations.
For those of you who are confused or unsure about what to teach for early childhood math, we got your back!
Parents and educators play an important role in early childhood development by providing children with opportunities to learn and develop new skills. Adults should be able to guide children in their own play and support them in improving or expanding their play. Teaching math skills at an early age is a discipline in itself, but the key is to make it practical, transdisciplinary, and most importantly, meaningful.
Mentalmatics is offering a trial class at $20 at any of their outlets. All you have to do is book via their website below to enjoy it!
