Language Development Activities For Preschoolers - Can Math Help?

Math Curriculum - Language Development Activities For Preschoolers - Can Math Help?

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How can a math program help children's language development?

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Math Curriculum

Well, what is language?

Most of us would agree that the primary function of language is to communicate ideas - the power to translate thought into words.

At some point we want to express those ideas in written form.

Young children are naturally kinesthetic and tactile learners. They love to explore things practically. This is a trait many parents will readily recognize! Introductory math activities using math manipulatives like cuisenaire rods can form the perfect basis for developing children's language.

The process is simple because it is based on the activity children (and adults) enjoy most, play. Given a box of cuisenaire rods children will do what comes naturally and just play. Often they become totally absorbed in what they are doing entering into the flow state where a wealth of incidental learning takes place.

Having been given plenty of opportunity to express themselves

creatively with the rods children now possess a wealth of ideas that can be

expressed in written form. It is during this process of interaction with the rods that the teacher or parent has the perfect opportunity to introduce the appropriate vocabulary.

Initially they would be introduced to the COLOR NAMES of the rods - white, red, light green, pink, yellow, dark green, black, tan, blue and orange.

Important TERMS and PHRASES can then be introduced to help describe their constructions - end to end, train (rods placed end to end), side by side, pattern (rows of rods side by side), above, below, big, small, long, short.

The next step is to introduce the INITIAL LETTER name for the rods - w, r, g, p, y, d, b, t, B (to distinguish it from black) o.

To simplify this process we now carry out a series of activities to introduce SIGNS as shorthand for words and phrases they are already familiar with.

How is this achieved?

They now understand that placing rods end to end produces TRAINS and have been shown how to 'read' them from left to right. It is now only a short step to putting their thoughts into words.

e.g. "Red, white, red." In the early stages they would translate what they had constructed by simply writing the initial letter names for the rods - r w r.

Children will need plenty of practice 'reading' their trains before they are ready to write them down. When children start to write please don't worry about neatness.

They should write big on plain paper. Let them write what they want to express about the rods.

Treat their first expressions at writing as you did their first work of art.

Signs are introduced to replace familiar words and phrases to make communication easier. For example instead of a child saying, "red end to end with white end to end with red," he can say, "red plus white plus red". The written form of

r + w + r are even simpler. He has now written a mathematical sentence that is an expression of something he has created and crucially, understands from an experiential perspective.

Children with dyslexic tendencies will love this approach. They are able to create meaningful mathematical sentences without having to worry about the phonetic nature of language.

As all the signs are introduced children will begin to use them orally to describe what they have constructed. This may have been in response to, "How many trains can you make equal to the pink rod?" They could answer:

"Two reds."

"Red plus red."

"Two whites plus red... "

There are in fact eight distinct trains and many children will find them all. The above responses assume the concepts of 'equals', 'plus' and 'multiplication', have been introduced.

Young children will eventually begin to write very complex mathematical sentences as algebraic equations before number is introduced a little later.

This article is not long enough to discuss in detail how each of the signs can be introduced but has been written to demonstrate how math can help a child's language development. The very fact that they are now able to translate their expressions (constructions) in a variety of written 'sentences' inspires confidence when faced with the more difficult challenges of a phonetic based system. The nature of this approach also means children are more prepared to persevere when faced with difficulties as they have learned the truth expounded by the French philosopher Bachelard, "There are no first truths, only errors."

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