November 12

If you aren't already playing dice games with your children, now is a great time to start. One goal for Grade One Math is instant recognition of arrays. The way the dots are arranged on dice is one example of a set of arrays. Over time, a child who plays with dice often learns to recognize the dice arrays instantly. Of course, lots of counting goes on first.

Here are some steps to watch for and encourage:

1. Child counts all dots on both dice.
2. Child recognizes the number of dots on one die, but has to count all dots on both dice to find the total number.
3. Child can hold the number of dots on one die in memory and "counts on" to find the total number. (Child sees 5+2 and says, "5, 6, 7.")
4. Child has memorized combinations and knows the total instantly.

If your child is at stage one, you may want to stick with one die for most activities.

Miss Owen