Today's newsletter is all about math games and manipulatives. We use games and manipulatives extensively in our homeschool. In fact, the majority of math learning before grade six occurs through games and hands-on activities.

Children move from concrete to abstract thinking. With math, they must first see and touch what they are counting—three cookies. Next they understand that the number 3 represents three cookies. After many experiences with concrete objects, and time for brain maturation, they start to move to abstract thought, e.g., x=3. (Your Child’s Growing Mind by Jane Healy.)

Manipulatives enable children to visualize a problem concretely. Allow them to work with manipulatives as long as they need to. Once they begin to see the manipulative in their minds’ eye, they can stop using it. Do not hurry them away from the manipulative. As you introduce new concepts, encourage your child to use a manipulative to explore the concept. Even engineers use manipulatives!

There are so many games and manipulatives on the market. You can find a list of essential manipulatives if you have a tight budget or are restricted on space.

Suggestions are listed by category.

Stepping Into Self-Education Summer Learning Program