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Is it ok to teach a child to add/subtract using fingers?
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amother
Copper


 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 12:20 am
Any thoughts on this? My 6 year old is having difficulty with math and I'm not sure whether I should teach her to use her fingers. I cant seem to think of a better way to help her.

Any ideas how to help her better grasp the concept without using fingers? Or is it ok to use fingers?
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kb




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 1:54 am
I use my fingers Smile

Or a calculator!


But you can use things instead of fingers, if you want to teach the concept. Cookies, Lego, blocks, whatever she can count.
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HappytoHS




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 3:05 am
Children's brains are wired to learn concretely before abstractly, so it's perfectly fine to teach her to add or subtract using her fingers. But there are better manipulatives our there that teach using a whole-to-parts method rather than just counting which will be a better foundation for future math skills. For number sense and early computation skills, Cuisinaire rods are my favorite: http://www.rainbowresource.com.....06380 IMO, these should be used in all elementary classrooms.

Here's a link to some fantastic videos on how to use the rods:
http://www.educationunboxed.com/
You can watch the videos yourself to see how to teach with them or watch them with your daughter and then try it out together. This is an investment of your time that will pay off long term.
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DrMom




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 3:38 am
Why not?
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 4:39 am
Only works counting up to 10 though Wink
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 7:11 am
I make my kids use their fingers! I want them to get good marks!
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Ema of 5




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 7:16 am
amother wrote:
Only works counting up to 10 though Wink

Then you move onto toes, and then you move on to someone else :-)
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heightsmom




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 8:58 am
Using counters is a better option. Teaching counting on,using doubles and doubles plus one are other great strategies.
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amother
Copper


 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:08 am
heightsmom wrote:
Using counters is a better option. Teaching counting on,using doubles and doubles plus one are other great strategies.


Whats using counters like?
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amother
Copper


 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:13 am
The reason im asking is because to me using fingers is sort of a lazy way of doing math. Reminds me of a calculator. Will she outgrow and be able to do mental math later on?

I cant think of another effective way to teach her subtraction other than fingers. How can I teach her mental subtraction?
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Liveandlearn




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:33 am
I don't see the problem using fingers, the main thing is that she should get the concept of what it means to add and subtract, you can also use pictures like drawing 2 apples next to 3 apples and have her count all apples
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:33 am
I second manipulatives. Or a number line.
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amother
Copper


 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:43 am
PinkFridge wrote:
I second manipulatives. Or a number line.


Why is it different than using fingers? The idea is to get her to do it mentally.

Typically how do beginners do their math?
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Tzutzie




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:44 am
I was taught to use my fingers in school. And no I dont use my fingers now. I was at the top of my class in math. And real quick. I stopped us on my fingers in 3rd or 4th grade.
Although if I was doing a more complicated equation I would us my fingers to remember instead of writing it down. Teachers were always annoyed that they didn't see my work. Only the answers Smile. Im not sure in which grade by I remember doing flashcards in class and the rule was no fingers. Was a fun way to teach us tobuse out heads instead.
it is ok to teach her to use her fingers she'll outgrow soon enough and move onto calculating it in her head.
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sourstix




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:54 am
[quote="heightsmom"]Using counters is a better option. Teaching counting on,using doubles and doubles plus one are other great strategies.[/quote]
huh? can you explain?
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 9:57 am
Fingers are fine. Teach her to count on, not two fingers plus three fingers that's useless.I can't stand when kids are so frustrated because they have no clue how to get the right answer. Gives math a very bad taste. And yes part+part=whole, whole-part=part is a great concept to teach. Not every kid is gonna get it though.
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ValleyMom




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 10:06 am
This is my 34 year of teaching Kindergarten/Pre-1st and I will tell you SINGAPORE MATH is the way to go when teaching beginning numeracy concepts. My students are brilliant and the foundation we are building is incredible. They know so many basic math facts- in their head!

I can ask :How can you make 6?
And I instantly get a ton of enthusiastic responses.
We do not use fingers- we use manipulative and everything is based on the ten-frame.

I urge you to research singapore math- your child will flourish.
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lfab




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 10:22 am
quote="heightsmom"]Using counters is a better option. Teaching counting on,using doubles and doubles plus one are other great strategies.[/quote]
sourstix wrote:
huh? can you explain?


It seems these are terms used in the common core curriculum. I'm not a math maven, but based on what I can figure out from my daughter's homework:
Doubles: 6+6, 2+2, etc.- basically adding 2 of the same number

Doubles plus one (also works with subtraction as doubles minus 1): 2+3, 4+5, 7+8, etc.-adding a number and then a number 1 higher than what the double would be (teaches kids that they don't have to start figuring it out from the begining they can do the doubles - ie. 4+4- and then add on 1 more)

Counting on: Sort of what is sounds like. Start with the higher of the 2 numbers and then count on (so if you have 8+2 start at 8 and then just count 2 more).
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 11:19 am
Tzutzie wrote:
I was taught to use my fingers in school. And no I dont use my fingers now. I was at the top of my class in math. And real quick. I stopped us on my fingers in 3rd or 4th grade.
Although if I was doing a more complicated equation I would us my fingers to remember instead of writing it down. Teachers were always annoyed that they didn't see my work. Only the answers Smile. Im not sure in which grade by I remember doing flashcards in class and the rule was no fingers. Was a fun way to teach us tobuse out heads instead.
it is ok to teach her to use her fingers she'll outgrow soon enough and move onto calculating it in her head.


I don't understand why using fingers has to be outgrown. I still use my fingers. Don't worry about me. I got 100% on my trigonometry regent.
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heightsmom




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Nov 20 2015, 11:46 am
Counting on, using doubles and doubles plus one are not common core terms. They have been in use for at least 25 years. I taught grades 1-4 for over 20 years. Number lines are also great. Kids who have difficulty with number facts often rely on their fingers for years.
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