Reading, writing and math are the fundamental subjects your child will need to master in order to be successful in other areas of school. She will not only need to have a firm grasp on the concepts associated with each subject, but she will have to be able to apply her understanding to her school work, says S.G. Grant, author of "Reforming Reading, Writing, and Mathematics: Teachers' Responses and the Prospects for Systemic Reform." You can help your child by working with her to make learning fun.
Step 1
Use pictures to correlate with lessons. Pictures work particularly well in reading instruction because seeing a picture will often enable your child to make a connection between what he sees and what each word is. You can also use pictures to teach writing and math, says the authors of "Picture Learning Reading, Writing, and Math for Grade 1," a book created by School Specialty Publishing, a company dedicated to helping parents and teachers educate children. You can show your child a picture, write the first few or last few letters of the word and have your child fill in the blanks. Your child can also draw pictures of math problems when adding by drawing the first group and the second group separately and then counting them together.
Step 2
Use manipulatives so your child can practice concepts with a hands-on approach. There are a wide variety of reading, writing and math tools, and Grant writes that using several different methods will allow your child to have many learning experiences that will enhance her understanding of the material. Give your child small objects, such as pennies or beans, to help her count, add and subtract. Letter tiles can help your child learn to put letters together to form words so she will recognize more words on sight. Story paper will enable your child to write and illustrate her own stories.
Step 3
Play games with your child to help him master concepts. Peggy Kaye, author of "Games for Learning: Ten Minutes a Day to Help Your Child Do Well in School--From Kindergarten to Third Grade," writes that playing short, simple games can help the material come alive for your child. Try writing four words on a piece of paper and challenging your child to sound them out. The tricky part of the game is that he then has to write a story using those four words in the same order that he read them. You can also say a word and see how many rhyming words your child can write down. To practice math, see how many numbers your child can find while riding in the car, or give him two numbers to find first and then see if he can find the sum of those two numbers.
Step 4
Practice with your child as she does her homework. The more opportunities your child has to work on reading, writing and math, the more she will understand. Your child will be expected to learn a large amount of information between kindergarten and third grade, says Kaye, and your help will enable her to do so. Go over your child's homework with her, and work together to make corrections and learn from mistakes. You can ask your child's teacher for ideas and resources to assist you.
Tips and Warnings
- Check your local library for books that offer games, ideas and activities to help your child learn reading, writing and math concepts.
- Try not to get frustrated with your child when he has a difficult time mastering skills. Use patience so he can rely on you for help until he understands what he is learning.
Things You'll Need
- Pictures
- Manipulatives (pennies, beans, tiles)
- Pencil
- Paper
References
- "Reforming Reading, Writing, and Mathematics: Teachers' Responses and the Prospects for Systemic Reform"; S.G. Grant; 1998
- "Picture Learning Reading, Writing, and Math for Grade 1"; School Specialty Publishing; 2008
- "Games for Learning: Ten Minutes a Day to Help Your Child Do Well in School--From Kindergarten to Third Grade"; Peggy Kaye; 1991
