When you ask your children a question, make sure you give them enough time to think about it at their own rhythm and pace (it may take them 5, 10 seconds, or even more, to come up with the correct response). If they give a wrong answer, don’t give them the right one, but rather simply repeat or reformulate the problem.
In giving the solution yourself, you may show your children how smart you are in math but not in early teaching! Your children’s brains are not yet as well developed as yours, and therefore they need more time to grasp and solve a problem. Your role is to help them find the right answer for themselves; so be patient.
If, after a long enough delay, your child has still not understood, it’s probably because your explanation was too sketchy, too obscure, or too complicated. In this case you should present the problem differently, asking new questions and giving better information. Your children have to be taught and encouraged but, most importantly, listened to.
Image: The Mouse – Number 10 / ChildUp.com
