• Useful Tips for Parents of Junior Infant
  Matching 
  Be aware of opportunities to observe similarities and differences between objects. At home, ask
  the child to point out familiar objects that are the same, e.g. socks, spoons, gloves. If objects are
  somewhat similar, e.g. 2 cats. Ask them what the difference between them is.
  Sorting
  When the child can identify objects that are the same then they can group or ‘sort’ these objects.
  Put all the socks together, all the books, all the toys, etc.
  One-to-one correspondence
  Let the child match objects together, e.g. pairs of socks, pairs of shoes. When setting the table let
  them see how each knife has a fork. Each cup has a saucer, each bowl has a spoon.
  Ordering
  Read the story of ‘Goldilocks’ and draw your child’s attention to the fact that there were 3 objects
  of varying sizes, e.g. the 3 bowls, chairs and beds. Ask your child to watch out for examples of this
  around them, e.g. objects in varying sizes (big tree, bigger tree, biggest tree).
  Length and height
  Ask the children to bring in ‘long’ objects, e.g. Daddy’s old ties, string, etc. Examine these and see
  which ones are longer, shorter, wider. Ask them to tell you the things they found at home that were
  long – the garden, the path, the bath. Who is taller, Mum or Dad? Do the children have brothers/
  sisters who are taller than they are? Use the language of length and height, long, longer, longest, tall,
  taller, tallest.
  Shape and space
  Use the language of ‘space’, e.g. beside you, behind you, in front of you, under you, above you,
  on top of. Look at things that ‘stack’, e.g. boxes and books, and things that ‘roll’, e.g. oranges and
  apples.
  Width
  Use the language of ‘width’, e.g. will the car fit in that space? Is the car too wide?
  Equivalent and non-equivalent sets
  Use opportunities to point out ‘more’ and ‘less’. Are there more apples than bananas in the bowl?
  Are there more girls than boys in the pool? There’s no need to mention amounts or numbers just
  ask the child to judge by eye.
  Pattern
  Watch out for patterns and identifying the pattern. What comes next in the pattern?
  Numbers 1 to 2
  Watch out for these numbers at home and outside. Point them out on signs, shop windows, books
  etc. Use any opportunity to let your child count out items, e.g. apples.
  Time
  Use the language of time, e.g. We’ll have dessert after tea/dinner, wash your teeth and then I’ll read
  you a story. Time at this point is all about sequencing, e.g. lunch comes after brTime at this point is all about sequencing, e.g. lunch comes after breakfast. There’s no need to mention actual times, e.g. two o’clock, etc

• Numbers 3 to 5
  Watch out for these numbers at home and outside. Point them out on signs, shop windows, books,
  Use any opportunity to let your child count out items, e.g. 3 apples, etc.
  Capacity
  Let your child know the difference between ‘empty’ and ‘full’. Emphasise that ‘full’ means ‘up to
  the top’. Let them experiment at the sink with various different size containers. How many little
  bottles will it take to fill this big bottle?
  Ordinal numbers
  Use the words ‘first’ and ‘last’ with your child. Who will be home first? Which person is first in the
  queue? Who is last? Line up all your toys. Which one is first? Which one is last?
  Count
  Use opportunities to ‘count’ in sequence with your child, e.g. walking up the stairs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.
  Weight
  Compare objects, e.g. this paper is light, this stone is heavy.
  Shape
  Look out for rectangles and triangles. They might be in a pattern or design.
  Partitioning (1 to 5)
  If you get the opportunity show how numbers of objects (1 to 5 items) can be ‘broken up’. For
  example, How many grapes are there? (5) I can break them up in lots of ways, e.g. 2 grapes and 3
  grapes, 1 grape and 4 grapes, 3 grapes and 2 grapes. I put them back together and I have 5 again!
  Combining/Addition (1 to 5)
  Use opportunities to ask your child to ‘add’, e.g. in the supermarket, ‘I have 3 bananas, if you get
  me another 1, how many will I have? At home, ‘I have cut two slices of bread, if I cut 2 more how
  many will I have?’
  Money
  Help your child to recognise the coins: 1c, 2c and 5c. Use opportunities to do simple tasks with 1c
  coins, e.g. 1c and 1c, give me five 1c coins. Some children have difficulty realising that there is 2
  cent in a 2 cent coin (as it’s only 1 coin) so stick to adding 1 cent coins

Useful Websites for Mathematics

• • Multiplication tables games www.teachingtables.co.uk
  • Find the shape http://pbkids.org/barney/childrengames/featured-game.html
  • Time sequencing games www.do2learn.com/games/dragondrop/timesequence/index.htm
  • Data handling www.bb c.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/handling-data.shtml
  • Bracket Basics www.sums.co.uk/playground/csa/playground.htm
  • Odd/even numbers www.softschools.com/math/games/odd_even_game.jsp
  • Clocks www.teachingtime.co.uk
  • Against the clock-addition and subtraction www.primarygames.com/flashcards/add-subtract/combo.htm
  • Basket Maths interactive-number operations www.scienceacademy.com/b1/
  • Interactive maths game www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/index.shtml
  • Hundred squares fill in –fill in numbers on a hundred square www.primaryresources.co.uk/maths/100square.htm
  • Money Games-shopping –giving change www.teachingmoney.co.uk/eurosite/euroindex.html
  • Space Racer-solving maths equations www.mathsplayground.com/spaceracer-multiplication.html
  • That quiz:money http://www.thatquiz.org/tq/practice.html?money
  • Airline Division www.ictgames.com/airlinegrouping/airlinegrouping.html
  • Rounding to the nearest 10.100,1000 www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/whatarenumbers/ rounding/index.shtml
  • Name that angle www.maths-packs.co.uk/mathspack1/angle.html

Fun Links