Ideas and Activities for Parents of Preschool Gifted Children (cont.)
by Laura Siegelbaum and Susan Rotner
Money
If you child seems to be adept at understanding the concept of money, you can
begin to help him practice and apply his skills by marking prices on a special
shelf of canned goods in you pantry. When your child helps you in the kitchen
at dinner time, he can pretend to go to the grocery store and pay for the
supply needed. Keep a can of real coins of various values available for
counting. If your child enjoys this activity, you can extend it by allowing him
to help you purchase your items in the grocery store, pharmacy, or department
store. He may even carry a wallet in which to keep his coins. Perhaps he can
pick one item out of your basket at the supermarket that he is responsible for
purchasing after your order has been totalled.
Sorting and Classifying
If your child's attention span is good you may want to create a sorting table
for him. This table provides an excellent opportunity for learning to sort,
classify and eventually to add manipulative materials. These skills are a very
important foundation for mathematical concepts. On a surface of an old desk,
table, or piece of wood, use a washable felt tip marker to make two circles.
You can cover the table with a piece of clear contact paper for longer wear.
Have available two or three boxes of materials, such as assorted sizes and
colours of buttons, blocks, and pegs. Your child can sort first just between
objects such as the buttons and blocks, putting each into one of the circled
area provided. Then he may classify according to shape, color or size. Later
you can assign two characteristics to each circle for example, "Put the red,
round ones in this circle and the blue, square ones in this circle." This
activity is also excellent for eye-hand and small muscle coordination.
Telling Time
Many children are interested in clocks, since a good deal of their everyday
experiences revolve around telling time. After an explanation of the purpose of
telling time, you may want to show your child how to tell time to the hour
only. You can incorporate an art activity and reinforce this mathematical
concept by helping your child make his own clock with a paper plate. Depending
on the manual dexterity of your child, you may either fill in numerals or dot
them for your child to trace. Give your child two precut hands made out of
oaktag or light cardboard, with a hole punched out of each in the centre
bottom. In the centre of the clock use a paper fastener put first through the
two hands and then fastened on the back of the paper plate.
Your child may now decorate his clock and then use it to tell the hours he eats
meals, goes to bed, takes a walk, etc. Depending on his interest and ability,
further teaching of more complex time concepts may be considered.
Math Puzzle
A good rainy day project would be to make your own math games or puzzles
together with your child. For example, find a full-page picture from a
favourite magazine. Cut it out, and paste it onto a piece of cardboard
(cardboard from shirts is excellent for this). Then cut it into six rectangular
pieces.
On each of the pieces write a simple math problem, such as 2+1. Then take a
second sheet of cardboard, the same size, and divide it into six rectangles.
On this sheet write the corresponding answers. The answers should be placed so
that when your child matches the problems and answers, he has a completed
magazine picture. If a puzzle piece is out of place, this will automatically
tell your child that an answer was incorrect and he should "think again." This
same puzzle can be made using money concepts instead of problems by taping real
coins to the back of the puzzle pieces.
Beginning Addition
An adding game can be made by first making two spinners out of cardboard.
Fasten each cardboard spinner with a paper fastener to a paper plate which is
numbered in a circle from 0 to 5.
Fill several (three or four) other cardboard sheets with numbers,
putting six numbers on each. Have a few dozen chips or cents available and you
are all set to play.
Two to four people may play this game, Each player gets a number card and some
chips. The first player spins one spinner and then the other. He adds these two
numbers together and announces his answer. Whoever has this number on his card
will cover it with a chip. The next player then takes his turn. The first
person who covers all of the numbers on his card is the winner. However, let
your child know that in reality all players are winners because everyone who is
playing the game is learning!
We hope you will use these activities in a casual, spontaneous, and playful
way. We do not in any way intend for them to be forced upon an unwilling child
or to become a rigidly scheduled activity. On1y if the child is a willing
participant can these activities be of benefit.
We would certainly encourage any interested parents to try them. Giftedness in
not an all or nothing trait. All children have some of the characteristics of a
gifted child. The gifted child has more of these characteristics and has them
to a stronger degree. The important element when using these activities is that
the child experiences success. They should not uncover and emphasize weaknesses
but should spotlight and build on strengths.
Laura Siegelbaum and Susan Rotner are mothers of preschool children. Ms.
Siegelbaum is employed in the Office for Gifted and Talented in Montgomery
County (MD) Public Schools. Ms. Rotner is a former kindergarten
teacher
Reprinted from Gifted Child Today January/February 1983
|
