Tech, Tots & Triangles

Early literacy has long been a major focus of parents and educators of young children, and there are many products designed to promote reading skills.  But have you ever thought about the toys in your home that are designed to build early math skills?  Let’s take a look at exactly what concepts are considered early math skills and how we can use technology to reinforce them with our little learners.

According to About.com, early math skills include the following:

•    Using numbers to express quantities of objects

•    Recognizing numbers expressed as spoken words, written words, and written symbols

•    Using words to count forward and backward from one to ten

•    Counting objects from one to ten

•    The concepts of addition and subtraction using objects

Parents should also be aware that these concepts-none, more, less, most, smaller, smallest, bigger, biggest-as well as being able to identify common shapes (circle, square, triangle, and rectangle) are among early math skills as well.  Sorting objects by size, shape, and color is yet another skill children will acquire as they learn basic math concepts.

There are so many ways to teach early math in our daily activities.  Shapes and colors surround us, and there are countless opportunities to, well, count!  (Pun intended.)  My family moved into a new home around the time that my son BT was just beginning to count.  Soon after he could easily count from one to seventeen.  Why seventeen, you ask?  Because that’s how many stair steps lead from the main floor to the upstairs.  Every time we went up together, we would count each step.  We still compare sizes of fruit when we eat snacks (“Which strawberry is the biggest/smallest?”), and we think about subtraction as he devours his goldfish crackers (“How many crackers are left now?”).  We look for numbers everywhere we go.  For those of us with Apple-based tablets and/or smart phones, there are numerous apps designed to promote math skills at all ages and ability levels.  Below are two of BT’s favorites. 

Monkey Math School Sunshine has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and can be installed to both your iPad and iPhone for 99 cents.  The app is appropriate for children ages 3 to 6, and it features nine interactive games that teach sequences, patterns, counting, addition and subtraction.  It is a brightly designed, uninterrupted game that rewards correct answers with animated celebrations and prizes for the user to place in an interactive aquarium. 

Bugs and Buttons also has a user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and is available for both tablets and phones for $2.99.  While much of this app centers on imaginative play, there are also aspects of basic math such as counting, identifying patterns, and sorting.  Plus, the app has really cool audio, which BT loves.

If you’re interested in free, web-based tools that promote early math skills, consider these sites:

www.akidsmath.com

www.pbskids.org

www.softschools.com/math/games

Tots and Tablets

As parents we are faced with many questions related to events and milestones in our children’s lives.  At what age should I introduce solid foods?  What’s the right time to potty train?  When do we begin structured sports and other leisure activities?   Parents may want to consider this question as well: how old should my child be before I allow him or her to use technology?  Kids have always wanted to imitate the things they see their parents doing.  Little girls want to paint their nails and put on makeup like mommy; boys want to shave and wear neckties like daddy.  Why would we think anything different about technology and mobile devices?  Our children see us using technology daily for a myriad of tasks, so it shouldn’t surprise us when they show an interest in these things from very early on.  (I’ll look at some of the arguments for and against early use of technology in later blog posts.)

My sweet, almost 4 year old son (I’ll call him “BT”) loves our iPad.  He is very facile in using it, easily swiping and opening the folders that hold his apps.  BT and I have many apps that we enjoy using together, and I’ll talk more about those later in this post and in subsequent blog posts.  But let me first assure you that I would never put such a delicate and costly device in the hands of a three year old boy without first taking some precautions.  If you’re going to invest in an iPad or other tablet, get an appropriate case to protect it.  We have an Otterbox, which is said to be indestructible (if it survives BT, we’ll know for sure).  When we purchased our iPad, we also bought the protection plan that Apple offered; it covers a variety of issues that you might encounter, and it was inexpensive compared to potentially having to replace the entire device.  Once your tablet is protected, you can relax and feel comfortable putting in little hands.   

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are over 500,000 mobile apps.  A friend of mine recently commented on Facebook that the only thing her iPad won’t do is clean her house, and to that I ought to reply, “It’s only a matter of time.”  If you’re new to the app world, it’s worth noting a few things.  First, some of these apps will install to both your tablet and your iPhone if you own both devices (I’m not sure how that works in the Android market).  For each app listed, you’re shown several items of information: its icon (that’s the picture that will appear on your tablet screen), its category (such as “education” or “games”), when it was most recently updated, its user rating based on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, and its cost.  I recommend reading the reviews before making any purchases because what might have garnered an app a poor review during its initial release may have been improved with an update.              

To promote and develop your preschooler’s critical thinking skills, try Innovative Mobile Apps’ Little Solver-Preschool Logic Game.  As it’s described in the app store, “Little Solver is a fun and exciting game to help kids sharpen their minds by developing critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills.  While matrix analogies are nothing more than a comparison that points out relationships between things that are different, cognitively for kids it plays a significant role in developing analytical reasoning, problem solving, perception, and spatial relational skills.”  What does BT like about this app?  He likes the colorful pictures of toys, animals, foods, and other objects.  He gets excited when he answers correctly and receives positive feedback from the app.  I like the analysis provided at the end of each session, showing the accuracy he achieved at each level.  This app costs 99 cents and received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.    

  

I am not naïve to think that everyone reading this blog owns an iPad, but I will assume that you do have access to the internet.  Below is a link to a free online tool that you can use with your little ones.  We all know Fisher-Price as a popular toy maker, but if you visit their website you’ll find a variety of web-based educational tools.  Choose the “Games and Activities” tab at the top of the F-P homepage. You will find learning games and resources for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.  As a musician, I really liked “Let’s Play the Piano” for preschoolers.  There are also tons of coloring pages parents can print out for their kids; after all what kid doesn’t enjoy coloring?  Check it out!     

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/default.aspx

Tech, Tots, & Tweets

Times are changing, would you agree?  Our kids will grow up in a culture where literacy not only means being able to read and write, but also being able to use and adapt to the latest technology.  They are so-called “digital natives,” meaning they’ll never know a world without cell phones, tablets, or i- ____ (fill-in-the-blank).  Even the youngest toddlers are experienced swipers!  If they have the dexterity to manipulate computers and other tech devices, why not use them intentionally to supplement their early learning?  This idea-not original to me by any stretch-really dawned on me when I acquired an iPad last fall.  Everyone in my family uses it, including my 3 year-old, who quickly figured out how to manipulate the device.  He’s no stranger to technology.  He was a big fan of Baby Einstein early on, and we’ve gone through our share of AA batteries required for various educational toys made by LeapFrog and V-Tech.  He knows exactly what the remotes and mobile phones are for, and he won’t hesitate to let you know when any device is not working properly.  But there is something different about the iPad and this new generation of tools known as Web 2.0.  Sorry to be cliché, but the possibilities are endless!  Between the internet and a half million-plus mobile apps, there is something valuable for everyone, even the youngest learners.  My purpose for this blog is to share with stay-at-home parents, homeschoolers, and preschool teachers some of the tech tools we enjoy.       

A way parents and educators can stay in-the-know about the latest in technology and web tools is by using Twitter.  Until recently, I didn’t know much about Twitter other than it was another form of social media and it included a lot of mysterious symbols and jargon that I didn’t understand.  I have since learned that Twitter can be a very valuable resource, and along the way I have learned how to interpret the lingo.  No matter what you are interested in personally or professionally, there is a great likelihood that someone out there is blogging or tweeting about it.  Twitter is a great way to connect with and learn from others all over the world.  I have compiled a list of tweeters who, like me, have an interest in early childhood education and/or technology.  Some of these tweeters are individuals, some are app development businesses, and some are public service entities.  Among my favorites on the list are @PreKPages, @pbsteachers, and @momswithapps.  I’ve included a link to the complete list below.  I’m anxious to learn creative ways of applying technology in early learning from each of these sources, and it’s my hope that those who visit this blog or view my Twitter list will do the same.       

https://twitter.com/#!/elanabrister/ed-529-tech-for-tots/members

Check out the video below - it proves my point that even the littlest learners can "swipe."