Myth 6: Babies should be playing, not learning math!

Nothing is more fun for a baby than learning! So, provided you are teaching your baby in the right way, it would be safe to say that he does not know the difference between learning math and playing.

At the same time, however, it should be noted that teaching your baby mathematics will not take up much time of each day. It will not cut into time your baby would otherwise spend engaged in free, unstructured play. No one is suggesting that math lessons replace the time your child spends messing around, experimenting, and playing in a random, haphazard fashion.

How long is a math lesson? In the beginning, 5 minutes or shorter. Later, when you teach equations as well as quantity, the maximum length of a lesson would be 10 minutes. As you increase the duration of your math lessons, take your cue from your child. If you lose your child’s attention, stop immediately.

Be consistent: spending a few minutes every day is far better than trying to give an extended lesson once a week. As your child gets older, you may find that she asks for her lessons two or three times per day!

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On to myth number 7…