This book has three audiences: (1) parents, childcare workers, pre-school teachers, and elementary school teachers—people who work directly with children; (2) facilitators of parenting groups, strong start programs, and family literacy programs—people who work with parents and children together; and (3) Adult Basic Education instructors and tutors who teach basic math to adults. The following sections speak directly to each of these three audiences about how to use the activities in this book.
This book is for people who want to help little kids get ready for school math. It is for people who want to help school kids get better at math, and feel better about it. This book is for parents, grandparents, and foster parents; for people who babysit or do day care; and for teachers. It is for anyone who spends time with kids. Maybe this book is for you!
How can I help?
Maybe you were not good at math yourself. Maybe you hate math, and try not to do
any! Yet you see a kid you care about having the same troubles that you had, and
you worry.
Maybe you always liked math, and were good at math at school. You want to make sure that your kids have the same good time with math.
Maybe you weren’t good at math in school, but you figured out on your own how to do the math you need in your life. Maybe you are proud of the way you figured it out, or maybe you worry that your way is not good enough.
Whatever you know about math, and however you feel about it, you can help the kids in your life get ready for math, and get better at it. This book will show you some ways to help.