Dorothy Rivera Hernandez
This book opens the appetite and aptitude of the 4 year old child, and his parent, to the language of algebra- and this, with ease and fun. The number line, integers, missing factors, and many more understandings of algebra, help your young child begin to ace this, once alien language.
After 36 years in education, (11 in pre-kindergarten) this author, well knows how gifted a 4 year old child is in learning a new language. He has no mental blocks or fears of the language of algebra; he will simply treat it as new names for things he already enjoys. It is with new names, for familiar young child activities, that this book invites you and your child to play. Discover this book! Don’t you wish the author had published this book at that appropriate time for you, so that your algebra bewilderment would have never commenced? You might even hear yourself say, “Oh, so that’s what that meant!”
UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN
Children can learn new languages easily.
A child can learn a new language with more ease than an adult can. The hardest thing for us to do, learning a new language, is the easiest thing for a preschooler to do. The reason for this is that a young child has no mental block, nor fear of a new language. In this case the language of algebra. A child will treat it as simply new names for things he already deals with. It is with new names, for familiar young child activities, that this book invites you and your child to play.
Children learn by doing.
This is the greatest obstacle that the algebra learner faces. The algebra teacher cannot and does not know how to make algebra a place to play in, a favorite toy, a monster less math world. This book gives you the means to bring algebra into the three dimensional world where your youngest child or your oldest will feel comfortable. It might also make the adult say, “Oh, so that’s what that meant!”
Children’s play is their work.
If you have your child play algebra with you or with his friends, what do you think will actually be happening? He will be working out algebra functions! What do you think will be the inevitable outcome?
Children’s dual learning realm is the key.
One that would seek to teach a child must first realize that a child has a dual learning realm: one part is his environment, (everything at hand); the other is his imagination. In the following pages one will see that common objects and situations are buddied with imagination to give a child the key to algebra.
Children learn at different rates.
Experiences presented in teaching young children must be developmentally appropriate to that specific child who is right there looking up at you.
Children are all gifted; each one in his unique way.
Our responsibility is to seek it out, enjoy that gift in him, and learn together using that unique channel.
