Here are some Maths-based “Top Tips for Learning” to help you to practise at home with your child. Many parents were taught differently when they were at school – knowing how we teach maths will help you when helping your child with their homework. The key to all this is good communication: if your child is stuck or unsure of their Maths work then we will have probably spoken together already – but if not, pop in and talk to us and together, we’ll see what we can do. Our podcasts are presented by our teachers and, of course, our Headteacher.
Top Tips for Maths: number matching
Khaled Ali has only a minute to tell you important concepts linked to number matching within 10 which we teach children within Nursery and the first term of Year 1. Although it looks "easy" to the adult eye, children need to master these essential basic skills before moving on to practical addition and subtraction.
Top Tips for Maths: Adding by combining two groups
Danny Wood explains an important concept which we teach children within Nursery and the first term of Reception. Practical addition relies on children being able to count and point accurately ("one to one matching") and number recognition. An extention would be to get your child to write the sum themselves (you tell them what to write) and for them, of course, to write the answer). If your child has difficulty in reliably counting the sets, then see Mr Ali's Top Tip for Maths - or come and speak to us!
Top Tips for Maths: more or less than
Sarah Boyce explains the progression involved when teaching children anout more/less and greater/fewer than. There are lots of concepts covered in this podcast - but it will give parents a good idea about next steps and work to practise at home.
Top Tips for Maths: Addition with Coins
Claire McIntyre demonstrates a basic addition skill, which we hope our Reception children will require. Key is the number recognition (can your child recognise the number 5?), the number matching (can they then successfully count out 5 1p coins?) and then the "counting it all up". Make sure your child points to each coin seperately, counting steadily as they go on. Claire also demonstrates the "counting on" technique, which is for more able children at this stage.
Tops Tips for Maths - learning about Time
As Natalie Harle explains, teaching time can be quite abstract for children and so we start this in Reception. Natalie demonstrates key concepts reinforced within Year 1: o'clock and half past using analogue clocks. Note the phrases that Natalie uses. Of course, we teach children how to make and recognise these times using digital clocks too. By Year 2, most children can tell the time in terms of "quarter to"/"past" and "5, 10, 20, 25 past/to" the hour too - in both analogue and digital formats. If your child find this difficult, come and talk to us.
Top Tips for Maths - Number lines & Hundred squares!
Our maths lessons are very practical and we encourage children to use number lines and 100 squares to help work out their sums. Amy Skedd shows you how to use them to calculate additon sums. The same rules apply for subtraction too. Children really need to be familiar with a 100 square. Using the same principle, children can quickly calculate, for example, +13 (down 1, right 3) or +19 (down 2, left 1) etc. Come and see us at school for more information.
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Practical subtraction in Reception
Mr Ali's demonstrates practical subtraction for our Reception children. Careful finger pointing and "one to one" matching is important to ensure children count accurately - with each point children count the next number.
Top Tips for Maths - How to calculate doubles
Adam Dobson gives us a simple explanation of doubles, which introduce in Year 1. For bigger numbers, get children to make matching rows of objects such as buttons - a row of 5 and then a further row of 5 - and then count them all up! When ready, children should "count on" (i.e. start with '3 in my head', hold up 3 fingers and then count on).
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Taking away using a number line
TVI TV! teacher Miss Wright's top tip is how to use a number line to take away.
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Knowing number bonds to 20
Miss Sterzl's top tip is learning one way to calculate number bonds to 20. Ideal for Year 1, use the "bears in the garden" or "house" to calculate simple algebra sums - eg 12 + [?] = 20.
Top Tips for Maths: Tens & Ones
Children need to acquire a sense of 10s and 1s: in the activity, which you can play at home with your child, Alastair Solomon-Ayeh, partions 24 into 2 'lots of 10' and 4 'lots of 1'. Crucial, is the way we demonstrate how to 'count it up' afterwards: '10, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24'.
TVI TV!: Adding tens and units
Miss Corcoran-Jones's top tip for learning in Year 2 is to show you how to add 2 numbers using tens and units.
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Adding up amounts of money - beyond £1
TVI TV! teacher Mrs Hunter explains a game you can play at home with your child using money. Remember that we write amounts like this: £1.09 and not £1.09p!!!
Top Tips 4 Maths: Subtracting by using number bonds
This video is very useful, as it demonstrates how we teach children to "give change" with money (although, of course, other strategies are available!). Notice how Barry McHugh applies knowledge of "number bonds of 10) (i.e. 1+9=10) to calculate what is needed to "make 90 from 81". We'd expect most Year 2 children acquire this strategy within Year 2 during the Spring Term.
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Addition with 2 digit numbers that cross 10
TVI TV!'s Mr Jordan makes addition with 2 digit numbers that cross ten easier - very useful for Year 2 children!
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Taking away with 2 digit numbers that cross 10
TVI TV!'s Mr Jordan shows us how to take away numbers that cross 10 - which can be tricky. This is very useful for our Year 2 pupils.
Top Tips for Maths - How to find a sum within a word problem
Let Rosa Corcoran-Jones show you some of the word-problems that we ask children to complete in maths lessons. The skill here is to identify the key words being used in the question. Different words are associated with additon, subtraction, multiplication and division sums. Spotting these key words helps children to get an insight into which calculation is required.
Top Tips for Maths: Multiplying 2 digit numbers
How would you begin to explain to your child how to calculate "3x25"? Suzy Waters explains one method taught currently in Year 2, a skill which we'd expect the majority of our children to master. What's important is the "showing the working out" - as this helps children to visualise the arithmetic. The method demonstrated can be applied to different sums and other numbers - 3x18= (10+5+2+1 etc etc). Remember also, that we teach children that 3x25 is the same as 25x3. This 'reversibility' is also very helpful to remember!
TVI TV! - Top Tips: Fractions!
TVI TV! teacher Mr Iqbal shows us one strategy to calculate fractions of a number - in this case, 3/5s (three fifths) of 20.
Top Tips for Maths: reliable counting
Rofiya Begum carefully demonstrates ways to help your child count to 10 reliably using objects and fingers. You can play this at home or when shopping. We start teaching this concept in Nursery, but some children, will need help with this throughout Reception and maybe even into Year 1. If in doubt, please come and talk to us! ...