Domino Math
No homeschool should be without dominoes, dice and/or cards. They are great manipulatives for math practice and provide some drill without the tediousness of worksheets. Research suggests that some of the problems our kids are having in math today is due to children NOT playing games with dominoes, dice and cards. Think about it. When we were kids, we saw the configuration of dots and knew the number without counting. This recognition of sets is a critical early math concept upon which others are built. Some of these games also require mathematical reasoning which cannot be found playing Tombraider.

Principle: God is infinite.

Leading Idea: No matter how high you count, you can always add one more to get a higher number.

Definitions:

Arithmetic is counting.
Addition is counting forward.
The addends are the numbers we add together to get the answer.
The sum is the total number, or answer, in an addition sentence.

Scripture:
Num 1:2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel...

Reasoning:
Taking the sum of the people means they were to add them up. They would need to count forward to know how many people were in the congregation.

Activity:
Use a set of dominoes to generate number sentences. Double nines are best, because they provide more opportunity for practice with higher numbers. If you want to focus on the smaller numbers for younger children, you can always take out the higher number ones.

Have the child draw a domino and place it horizontally on the paper. Have him count the dots on the left and write the number on his paper under the dots. Have him put a plus under the line and then write the number from the right side of the domino and then an equal sign. He then can count up all the dots and write the answer. This provides the same practice as a worksheet, but is more interesting. It has the added benefit of keeping the addition problems fairly concrete, by having the dots to count. It also helps students to begin to recognize sets of numbers. After awhile, the child will see those two parallel rows of three and automatically know there is six. Use mathematical vocabulary to describe to him what he is doing as he is doing it. End the activity before he is ready to end. If he is still enjoying it when you stop, he will look forward to this activity in the future.

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