I’d like to get ideas on how to nurture an interest in math.
DS6 is very competitive and loves math. DH, DS10 and I have our strengths in verbal skills. DS10 likely has dyscalculia even so we’re not experienced with a kid like this.
I’m trying to support DS6 and I’d like some ideas from some parents who have math loving kids.
Right now at home he does Beast Academy and Dreambox. He is accelerated a year in school but the math at school is still not close his level. His teacher is working on differentiation but it seems like a lot of his class time this year is spent on reading comprehension which is fine. He’s grade level on reading comprehension so he could probably stand to spend more time on that right now.
He just “gets” math. Last night on Dreambox he was introduced to the concept that a full rotation was 360 degrees. Within a minute or so the question “What is 5/8 of a full rotation?” came up. I think that’s a hard question for a six year old. He just paused for two beats and typed in the correct answer.
From what I’ve been able to research, math competitions don’t seem to start until middle school. Are there worthwhile competitions for elementary? Are there good enrichment classes for elementary online? Are there other things a kid like him might like that I might not have thought of? He’s really social and loves being with people so just putting him in front of the computer isn’t really all that fun for him although he does enjoy checking his progress.
I was thinking about signing him up for a Saturday enrichment class at University of Washington but he loves sports too and game times are often in conflict.
We can take advantage of enrichment opportunities in Seattle on weekends but not during the week. We live too far away.
I’m just looking for ideas.
