Math without pen and paper? Surely you must be joking. The very idea of a child solving math problems without a pencil is just ridiculous. Or is it? Imagine your child solving math problems and understanding math in a natural way without tears or even a pencil. Michael Levin M.D. and Charan Langton M. S. show you how to make that a reality.
Book: The Verbal Math Lesson Level 1: Step-by-Step Math without Pencil or Paper
By: Michael Levin M.D. and Charan Langton M.S.
Age Reccomendation: 4 to 7 years old.
Where to Purchase: Amazon
Brief Description:
By getting back to the basics, the innovative and time-proven techniques in this resource teach children that doing math can be fun and effortless. Teaching math verbally eliminates the added challenge of having a firm grasp on writing skills that are themselves still being learned, and does away with tedious worksheets. Separating tasks and learning math verbally not only helps children to solve math problems efficiently, but also teaches them to think conceptually rather than focusing all the effort on writing mechanics. This method stimulates speed and accuracy and is critical for success in higher school grades.
My Thoughts:
The book focuses on the natural way children learn and understand math. The distraction of communicating it through writing or seeing it on paper is gone so the child taps into his natural ability to solve equations. It sounds a bit strange at first but once you try it you will wonder why children are made to use pencil and paper. Now, to be honest, I am not giving up writing math. However, the book helps a child understand the language of math and builds a firm foundation. A child relies on his own mind to solve problems and not on images, hash marks, or written equations. It builds confidence and its fun! It is hard for a child to have to think about writing correctly and solving a problem. The method allows the child to enhance his knowledge of math in a focused manner.
The second level, by the same authors, challenges children ages 7 to 8 with more math without a pencil or paper. I felt uncertain that division and multiplication could be taught or reinforced in this manner but I gave it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised. Math actually came easier to my daughter. My seven year old is dyslexic and good in math. When she gets a math page in front of her she gets confused and it takes her a long time to complete the page. She begins to scribble. I knew she understood the material so I was baffled. Turned out, trying to remember to how to write the numbers and what the numbers looked like on top of solving the equations was causing an overload. When I did math verbally, she excelled, showing me that she did understand math.
I think every child needs practice solving math without relying on a pencil and paper or being distracted by it. Allow your child to flourish in math!