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TEACHING YOUR BABY THE CONCEPT OF QUANTITY
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You can teach your baby the concept of quantity at an early age. Here's how:
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Hold your baby on your left arm. Bring your index finger pointing upward just about eight inches from her eyes and about two inches from your right eye. If you think she is not looking at your index finger, wiggle it once or twice to get her attention.
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Once she looks at it, say "one" once, then give one stroke downward onto her left cheek. Repeat this for about three seconds varying the direction you point your index finger (up, horizontal, and down). Remember to stop immediately if you notice that she is getting tired or bored. Do this routine four times a day for several days. Then do it with two fingers, and then three fingers. This simple counting of fingers will be a good foundation for her math abilities.
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Infants learn from concept and generalization, and work with the details much later on. They are great in looking at the forest, not the individual trees. During infancy, when they see a dog or a cat, they generalize that the object is moving and has four legs. As babies grow older, they hear the word "Cat" from mama when she if feeding "Kitty." When mama is playing with "Spotty" the dog, she associates the word "dog" with a four-legged animal named "Spotty."
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Whenever a baby sees an object, she associates the object with the word or the sound that mama or daddy says while referring to the object. The object and the name or label of the object does not matter; what matters is what the mother calls the object that she is holding, pointing at, or referring to. What also matters is how enthusiastic or happy the mother is when she is saying the word or label of the object.
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How do we apply this to teaching math concepts to babies? Learning math is the same as learning any language, even sign language. Babies can learn almost anything the parents show them enthusiastically.
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Here's how to teach your baby the concept of quantity:
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Get a white board and cut it into a 12 inches by 12 inches square. With a wide red marker pen, draw one dot about ¾ of an inch at the middle of the square board. At the back, on its four corners, write the number "1." Make 10 of these boards. Then draw two dots, then three, then four, etc. Draw the dots in a random pattern near the center of the board.
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Using these cards, you can start teaching your baby the concept of quantity, not numbers. Get the first five cards with one, two, three, four, and five dots. Show card one and you say "One." Speaking a little louder, repeat the word "one" three or four times.
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Do this exercise for only about one to two seconds per card. Do not stay longer than two seconds on one card because babies get bored easily. If your baby gets bored or tired after two or three cards, stop. Let her rest or do other activities. Wait for about 30 to 60 minutes, and when she is wide alert and want to play again, return to the five cards and start from where you left off.
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After showing the card with one dot, show your baby one red apple. Repeat “one apple” three times. Get one teaspoon and show it, and say, “one teaspoon.” After the two-dot card is shown, get two red apples, and say, “two apples.” Then two teaspoons. Use other common objects in the kitchen to demonstrate quantity.
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Show these first five cards four times a day for one week. Then the following week, show the next five cards – cards six to ten. After two weeks, go back and show cards one to five again.
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On the fifth week, get the first three cards. Show the card with one dot for one second and say "one" three or four times. Then show card two and three. Do this first three cards four times a day for three days.
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On the sixth week, show your baby card one on your right hand and card two on your left just about 12 inches from your baby. Look at your baby's eyes to see if she is paying attention. If she is looking at both cards, say, "Where is one?" Observe the reaction of your baby. Watch if she will look consistently at the card with one dot. She might try to reach for it with her hand.
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To check if your baby has learned "one," put one apple on your left and two apples on your right. Now ask again, "Where is One?" Show how happy you are when your baby gets it right. If she did not get it right or she did not respond, say, "This is One apple” with a smile.
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The earlier you start counting your fingers and other common objects in the kitchen with your baby, the higher the chance your child will be math-smart.
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