Problem remembering numbers
How can I help my child, who otherwise has remarkable memory, to remember numbers? For example, if a child confuses 6,8 and 9 or counts to 12 and then skips to 16? I'd like to avoid the rote memorization route since it's proven to be ineffective and thoroughly joyless for both of us.
Are we talking the symbols (6 and 9 look similar, don't they?) or the words (eleven, twelve, blah blah, weird words)? If it's the words for numbers between ten and twenty that he has trouble remembering, maybe you could make up your own words. Sometimes I count like this: tendy one, tendy two, tendy three,... The Chinese number words are something like this, and it makes some arithmetic operations easier for them. If it's symbols, just do your math verbally until he's ready to move to the written version.
It's both the symbols and the words. I never thought about how illogical counting to a hundred sounds to a young child. First, he learns all the words to count to 10. Then, instead of "one-one, one-two, one-three" and such he has to memorize "eleven, twelve, thirteen..." Then it changes back to, essentially, "two-one" (twenty-one) on to "nine-nine" (ninety-nine).
In Chinese, counting is exactly like you describe. 25 is "two-tens-five" literally. There are several studies showing this to be hugely helpful to young kids.
Maria, I started using the "two tens and five" approach and he is doing really good with it understanding that a two-digit number is made up of tens and units. Thanks!
Use it or lose it! Offer your kid plenty of situations where telling numerals apart makes a real difference. Use passwords on things he likes, such as computers and phones, but make it into a spy or hacker game rather than an exercise. Play in elevators that take you to interesting places (if you press right numbers). Kids like to press random floors at first, so wait for that stage to be over. It usually takes some ten minutes. Kids who like art-based or word-based roleplay sometimes make elaborate stories dressing up numerals as living characters. For example, 8 has a tiny waist - but what color is he/she? What does 8 wear, what does 8 do? Make numbers alive and they will be more memorable. I have seen many kids create stories (or enjoy ready-made ones) where numbers become characters, each with a distinctive look. I just posted a book review of ["What's unnatural?"][1] that has some examples. ![alt text][2] [1]:
http://www.moebiusnoodles.com/2013/01/book-review-whats-unnatural-by-jeremiah-dyke/ [2]:
http://www.naturalmath.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/WhatsUnnaturalp15.png
I tried the password thing you suggested and it worked like a charm. He now remembers "8" (since it was part of the password), so I'm going to change the password to work on his 6s and 9s :) Maybe I'll give his some clues so he can figure out the password instead of me telling it to him outright.
Continuing with the password theme, I changed my iPad password today and gave him a clue - "four even numbers, in order and starting with the smallest". Took him 10 minutes or so 'cause he locked himself out, but he got it! So we're going to continue with this game of passwords.
