Math versus Reading...the debate

I am married to a math person, two of my three children majored in math, one going on to get a Master's degree in it.  You can imagine the conversation over the years about which is more important, reading or math.  Of course, being a literacy person, reading always won in my book.   If children can't read, pretty much everything else is a mute point.  My math people can argue just as vehemently that everything we do during the day involves math.   Good point.

Regardless of whether you believe reading will save the world or math will, there are children who are drawn to numbers and excel in that area.  While I may not agree 100% with a school built entirely around math, I do believe that we need to be more accurate with our language when it comes to math.

It really is easy.  Kindergarten teachers have a very hard time convincing children that the geometrical shape is a rhombus not a diamond.   The 'kite' is not a geometric shape.  So when you are talking shapes with your child use the correct term.  Children can learn big dinosaur words, they can just as easily learn the term rhombus. 

When you are coming out of a store, ask your child, which car is farther, which is closer?  Which is larger, smaller?  While at the grocery store in the produce section ask which bin as more, which has fewer?   When giving your child another apple slice (or whatever) ask, how many do you have now?   That's right you did have___ and now you have ___.  Stop at a stop sign and state that the shape is an octagon, it has eight sides.

We owe it to our children to develop their math language naturally.  They may never attend a school based entirely on math, they may not major in math, but they will definitely have an easier time when they get to school understanding math.