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4 Ways to Learn Numbers in the KitchenFeatured

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December 6, 2022
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This post describes four ways to use kitchen experiences to introduce numbers and basic math concepts while connecting with early learners. Involving kids in the kitchen is a low cost and high impact way to build important thinking skills.

  1. Growing familiar with numbers
  2. The Kitchen
  3. 4 Ways to learn about numbers in the kitchen (infographic)
  4. Takeaways

Growing Familiar with Numbers

If you have a preschooler or young elementary student at home, they are likely learning to recognize and begin to work with numbers. Growing familiar with numbers is an essential foundation for higher math skills. This is called numeracy (the ability to understand and work with numbers). 

 For most children, early numeracy is acquired through activities in the home and everyday environment, before they reach the school setting. 

According to a review of current research1: 

  • Children exposed to “fewer and less complex everyday number activities and experiences” have shown poorer numerical knowledge during preschool and kindergarten compared to peers 
  • Early knowledge about numbers has been linked to performance in formal math as a child grows 
  • Our kids use memory, language, and fine motor skills when learning to work with numbers. 

So… if recognizing and understanding numbers is important for our children’s academic success, and is chiefly acquired through the home and everyday environment, what practical steps can you take in your own home? I suggest that we start in the kitchen.

The Kitchen

The kitchen of your home is a functional workspace filled with numbers and mathematical concepts. It is often a central place where people gather several times a day, providing multiple opportunities to involve your little thinkers (and cooks). 

Your kitchen can provide not only meals for your family, it can also provide early number skills for your little thinkers.

4 Ways to Learn Numbers in the Kitchen

  1. Basic recognition of numbers. Find numbers and say them aloud together. Your child will learn that numbers are part of everyday life and that they are useful. Places to look for numbers:
  • scales
  • measuring cups
  • ingredient containers
  • appliances such as microwave or stove
  • printed in recipes 
  1. Counting and moving from number labels to concrete amounts. Use items in your kitchen to provide a visual and tactile (a.k.a. touchable) understanding of a number.
  • Example: Find the number 3 in your recipe and count 3 scoops of flour so that your child can visually see the amount and connect it to the number 3.
  •  You can use anything in your kitchen: chocolate chips, cookies, scoops of ice cream, the number of applesauce pouches your toddler has eaten…the opportunities are endless. Just start counting!
  1. Comparing magnitudes or amounts. Point out the differences and describe what you see.
  • Which cup has more flour? Which cup has less flour?
  • Which cookie is larger? Which cookie is smaller?
  • Which measuring cup is taller? Which measuring cup is shorter?
  1. Changing amounts (Adding or subtracting)
  • Now that your child can recognize which has more and which has less, practice altering amounts (adding or subtracting). 
  • I had 5 chocolate chips in this bowl, but I moved 4 chocolate chips to this bowl. Let’s count them again. Now, which one has more? Which one has less?
infographic

Takeaways

Involving kids in the kitchen and pointing out numbers or math concepts as you work is a low cost activity. The primary “expense” is your time and patience. Children don’t need fancy kitchen gadgets or formal cooking classes. They can build important thinking skills on your current grocery budget while you helping you prep their normal, everyday snack or meal.

Participating in family cooking is a high impact activity that builds important thinking skills. Numeracy is a primary goal, but children also learn skills in sequencing, measuring, planning, and even get sensory play when they interact with different ingredients.

While this post primarily focuses on early numeracy for young children such as preschoolers, you can also involve older children by highlighting the practicality of numbers and math in the kitchen. Your older child can help reinforce basic number concepts with your littles, and you can also adapt these strategies to higher level math skills: 

  • Incorporate fractions and percentages with pizza slices
  • Practice multiplying or dividing to change the portions of a recipe
  • Recognize differences in units of measure and practice conversions, such as cups to liters or tablespoons to milliliters

I am not suggesting that you have an all day academic kitchen school session in which you go over review each of these number concepts and then never talk about it again. The best learning happens during and after informal experiences. Our children learn through our daily interactions. 

  • Start small. When you are getting ready for dinner tonight, invite your child to count the number of potatoes you are going to boil, or the number of Chic-fil-a kids meals you are going to order for pick up.
  • Keep it casual. No formal cooking school is needed to introduce numbers in the kitchen. You don’t need to use fancy math words or ask calculus level questions. Keep the pressure low and allow your child to explore the items you are counting. 
  • Don’t buy anything. You don’t need new kitchen equipment to introduce early number concepts. Count what you have available. 
  • Have fun! Watching out for numbers in a recipe, counting chocolate chips, and dumping flour into a bowl while making chocolate chip cookies sounds much more exciting than a counting worksheet. 

CLICK HERE to subscribe to my free monthly newsletter for exclusive brain based tips.

References

  1. Raghubar & Barnes (2017). Early numeracy skills in preschool-aged children: A review of neurocognitive findings and implications for assessment and intervention.
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5 Excellent Books for Raising ThinkersFeatured

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November 9, 2022
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Did you know that one of the best ways to improve your child’s thought life is to improve your own?

When you demonstrate your own love of learning, you model for them what it could look like to love learning themselves. When you show them how to unwind with a great book at the end of the day, they learn to to value the written word and enjoy the process of reading and learning from good books.

Teachers, professors, instructors, and coaches typically receive ongoing training in their areas of expertise to help them be the best possible influence on their students and athletes.

The idea here is similar…you can improve your child’s mental game by improving your own.

Reading and learning for yourself, as a parent, increases your own thinking skills and is a low cost and high impact way for you to improve your child’s thinking skills. It’s a win-win.

Here is the list of 5 books I highly recommend for raising thriving little thinkers:

1. The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

  • A great book about brain basics with specific strategies for promoting cognitive integration (using your whole brain). This book is written by the same authors as The Yes Brain. It is research based, well written, easy to understand, and clearly organized.
  • One favorite quote: “As parents become more aware and emotionally healthy, their children reap the rewards and move toward health as well. That means that integrating and cultivating your own brain is one of the most loving and generous gifts you can give your children.”

2. The Yes Brain by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

  • Another great book about brain basics. This book is helpful for providing specific strategies in building resilience and curiosity in kids. I don’t want my children to fear failure, or avoid mistakes. This book explains how to cultivate the right environment as the parent to promote the mindset we want our children to master. This book is written by the same authors as The Whole Brain Child and similarly research based, well written, easy to understand, and clearly organized.
  • One favorite quote: “What you do and don’t value, and what you do and don’t give attention to, will impact who your child becomes.”

3. The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie

  • A great book about academic thinking and family culture, this one is helpful no matter what age your children are. Sarah Mackenzie crafts compelling arguments for cultivating a read-aloud environment in your home. She explains the academic benefits and the deepened relationships resulting from reading books together as a family.
  • One favorite quote: “When we read aloud, we give our kids practice living as heroes. Practice dealing with life-and-death situations, practice living with virtue, practice failing at virtue. As the characters in our favorite books struggle through hardship, we struggle with them. We consider whether we would be as brave, as bold, as fully human as our favorite heroes. And then we grasp—on a deeper, more meaningful level—the story we are living ourselves as well as the kind of character we will become as that story unfolds.”

4. Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie

  • Don’t let the word “homeschooler” lead you away from this book–replace the word “teaching” with “mothering” and you can quickly summarize the contents and apply it to your home. Sarah Mackenzie, the same author as The Read Aloud Family, writes beautiful words of encouragement for a mother who feels too much rests on your shoulders. While it is written from a homeschooling perspective, the concept of parenting and teaching from rest is applicable to any parent wanting to raise thriving little thinkers.
  • A favorite quote: “It’s easy to forget that teaching is holy work. We forget that building up the intellect- teaching our children to really think- does not happen by the might of human reason, but rather by the grace of God. On an ordinary day, you and I likely have a set of tasks we’ve scheduled for our kids. But it’s more than math. It’s more than history. It’s the building up of our children’s minds and hearts, and we can only do that if we realize that this is how we thank Him for the graces He so lavishly pours out on us.”

5. Awakening Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning by Sally Clarkson

  • I found this book to be more inspirational and beautifully written than practical. But the vivid picture of a child who loves learning has stuck with me and encourages me as I teach and train my children. Sally Clarkson describes her experiences teaching her own four children and how she created a culture of “wonder” and tried to create a “wonder-filled life.” It’s an excellent source of inspiration for those seeking to instill a love of learning in their families.
  • One favorite quote: “Education is not about enacting a prescriptive, boxed sort of curriculum-based classroom, but instead is about passing on a legacy of a love for learning, an independent joy in discovery, a motivation to bring light, beauty, and goodness back into the world of our children.”

A Note on Cost: While I’ve personally read all of the books listed, I borrowed them before I purchased them. My local library has excellent apps like Libby or Hoopla that allow me to listen to the audiobook for free or I can request hardcopies from within our local library system. I encourage you to utilize resources near you and get creative! If you prefer to purchase your own hardcopies to take notes or keep as reference, great! Just know that it isn’t required.

in Academic, Biblical, Critical

Why Thinking Needs to Be Taught and Why Parents are the Best Teachers

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August 24, 2022
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This post explains why thinking needs to be taught and why parents are in the ideal position to teach their children this crucial skill.

  • Why you should intentionally teach your child to think
  • Why you are the ideal person to teach your child
  • Takeaway

Thinking

Thinking is actively using your mind to connect ideas, understand, make judgements or decisions, and solve problems. One of the best ways we can set our children up for success in their future marriages, careers, families, or any endeavor is to teach them to think. 

The ability to think can be viewed as a skill that can be practiced and improved. With a growth mindset, learning to think is something that our children can practice and improve just as if they were practicing to boost their soccer abilities or video game score. Learning to think can be developed over time through instruction and practice. In The Whole Brain Child1  a book about brain-based parenting, Dr’s Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson describe a growth mindset in this way: 

“With intention and effort, we can acquire new mental skills. What’s more, when we direct our attention in a new way, we are actually creating a new experience that can change both the activity and ultimately the structure of the brain itself.”  

This is contrary to viewing ability to think as an unchangeable trait (for example, “ I am a good thinker or I am a bad thinker”). If we parent with a fixed mindset, rather than a growth mindset, we see our children’s skills as fixed features of their personality or characteristics of who they are. And while genetics and temperament absolutely play a role in how our children learn, every child’s brain (and parent’s brain, too) is capable of growing and changing. The physical changes associated with practicing something over and over again “rewires” our brains. 

Why should you intentionally teach your child how to think?

  1. Thinking is important to a child’s everyday life, both now and in the future.
  • We live in a rapidly changing world with constantly evolving culture. Thinking skills are crucial, because specific knowledge or academic skills that are useful today may not be applicable to tomorrow’s challenges. Our future workers, citizens, and family members need to be able to learn quickly and make sense of new information that will be used to make wise decisions.
  • According to a review of over 117 studies, “critical thinkers have a better future as functional and contributing adults.” –Abrami2
  • Critical thinking and problem solving are among the top five skills employers are looking for. 3

2. Thinking is important to our child’s academic success. 

  • Instruction in critical thinkings skills is associated with academic achievement 4
  • The ability to learn and think lays the groundwork for later success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects.5

3. Thinking directs action and behavior. We can show our children the direct impact of thoughtful decision making.

  • “…cognitive control, or children’s ability to shift behavior in response to changing environmental demands, contributes to academic success.” –Hanover Research6
  • Our thoughts lead to feelings that influence our actions. Our actions move us toward or away from our goals (a life of godliness, great relationships, meaningful work, etc.).
  • Executive function (using the front of our brains to engage higher-order thinking and complex mental processes) and cognitive control impact our ability to set goals and change behavior.7
  • “It’s very exciting to understand (and to teach our kids) that we can use our minds to take control of our lives. By directing our attention, we can go from being influenced by factors within and around us to influencing them.” –The Whole Brain Child1

Why are you the ideal person to teach your child thinking skills?

A parent is the child’s first teacher. Parents significantly influence the lives of their children. Young children primarily learn through informal experiences within their homes. Children see and practice what happens in their homes. They absorb and practice what is valued at home.

  1. The parent is the child’s first teacher. Parents significantly influence the lives of their children. 
  • Having children includes blessings and responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities is to teach and train . Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart form it.” 
  • “Every parent is a teacher. Every single one. They are the ones most closely connected to their child and who have the most personal emotional investment in seeing that their child grows healthy and strong. They have more weight in the long-term development of who their child becomes than anyone else who cares for their child.” –Sally Clarkson, Awaking Wonder8
  1. Young children primarily learn through experiences within the environment of their home during the formative years of child development. 
  • Informal education at home plays a pivotal role in learning, particularly in watching and taking part in family activities. 9
  • “…parents can directly shape the unfolding growth of their child’s brain according to what experiences they offer.” –The Whole Brain Child1
  • “We are passing on a life, not just information.”– Awaking Wonder8
  1. Children see and follow the values and behaviors of their parents. What is valued and practiced at home will be valued and practiced later in life.
  • “Every day, every hour, parents are either passively or actively forming habits in their children upon which, more than upon anything else, future character and conduct depend.” –Home Education by Charlotte Mason10
  • “As children develop, their brains “mirror” their parent’s brain. In other words, the parent’s own growth and development, or lack of those, impact the child’s brain.” –The Whole Brain Child1
  • “A parent’s impact and teaching can be for the good or the bad; it can shape an emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually healthy child or can leave a legacy of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual abuse and neglect, or provide a combination of both of these directions.”–Awaking Wonder8

Takeaway

Thinking skills can be practiced and developed. Thinking skills are valuable, and parents are in the perfect position to teach thinking skills

CLICK HERE to subscribe to the free monthly newsletter for exclusive brain based tips!

References

  1. The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD
  1. Abrami and Colleagues (2008) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0034654308326084
  1. Top 5 Skills Employees Look For https://newmanu.edu/top-5-skills-employers-look-for#:~:text=Critical%20thinking%20is%20necessary%20for,to%20help%20with%20problem%2Dsolving.
  1. Vierra (2014) https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/165155
  1. The Roots of STEM Success https://bayareadiscoverymuseum.org/roots-stem-success
  1. Hanover Research (2016) https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/ESSA-Evidence-Guides/Early_Skills_and_Predictors_of_Academic_Success
  1. Berkman (2019) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5854216/)
  1. Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson
  1. Murray (2021) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/09669760.2021.1928966?needAccess=true)
  1. Home Education by Charlotte Mason
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Low Cost and High Impact Ideas For Raising Thinkers

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August 24, 2022
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This post defines low cost and high impact ideas to help readers understand what to expect from Thriving Little Thinkers.

At Thriving Little Thinkers I will:

  1. Define a high impact activity or best practice as—an action that a caregiver can implement at home, supported by research or experience to build academic, critical, or biblical thinking skills.
  2. Evaluate an idea or product based on either low cost, or the high value that a purchase can afford

Time and money are limited resources. 

When choosing how to spend our money or time, it is valuable to know which activities have the greatest effect or highest impact.

High-Impact Activities

Something that is described as high-impact has “a large or powerful effect1.”  

  • A high-impact marketing strategy could yield more sales for a company.
  • A high-impact public health program could decrease infection rates.
  • A high-impact educational activity in the classroom could yield better academic success.

In  the education world, high-impact practices refer specifically to teaching and learning practices that promote deep learning and student engagement. For example, the Association of American Colleges & Universities recognizes multiple high-impact practices in the collegiate world:, writing-intensive courses, collaborative projects, global learning, community-based learning, and more.2  Identifying high-impact practices helps universities identify where to invest resources to yield the best possible student outcomes.

The concept of a high-impact activity is also linked to the idea of “best practices.” A best practice is a method or strategy known by research or general experience to produce efficient or effective desired results. 

Just like educational institutions use high-impact practices to see where to spend their time and money, parents can use best practices to see how to best spend their time and efforts when teaching their children thinking skills. 

At Thriving Little Thinkers, I will define a high impact activity or best practice as—an action that caregivers can implement at home, supported by research or experience to build academic, critical, or biblical thinking skills.

I don’t want you to waste your resources on tasks that don’t provide the most value. Many resources offer some type of benefit. But are they the best? Are they providing the best value for the cost?

Low cost/High Value

While the meaning of “low cost” may be obvious—it’s also countercultural in our consumeristic, social media driven world. We don’t need every new learning app that our favorite influencers are sponsoring, or expensive wooden toys labeled with the “Montessori” name, or the newest curriculum. 

Learning takes place in the context of everyday life and interactions. Your child can learn more from a consistent engaging conversation with you–an adult they want to model after–with no monetary cost to you–than they can with hours on a learning app. Are some apps helpful for academic thinking such as learning the ABCs or beginning numeracy and math skills? Sure! Are some resources helpful for aiding in scripture memory to train in biblical thinking? Absolutely. Can an online game or puzzle promote critical thinking? Possibly. But even if costly resources are beneficial, they are not mandatory. Costly resources are not required for learning to take place. 

Some products or ideas do involve some cost but they provide VALUE for the cost.  Examples might include upfront investment in excellent books, or experiences to promote hands on learning, or toys that promote independent and open-ended play (Lego bricks, magnets, trains and tracks, wooden blocks, dolls, etc.). 

At Thriving Little Thinkers, I will evaluate an idea or product based on either low cost, or based on the high value that a purchase can afford.

Subscribe to the free monthly newsletter for exclusive brain based tips!

References

1.Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/high-impact 

2. AAC&U High Impact Practices https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/HIP_tables.pdf

in Academic, Biblical, Critical

Welcome & What to Expect from Thriving Little Thinkers

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November 29, 2021
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The mission of Thriving Little Thinkers is to share low cost and high impact tips that help your child learn to think and set up a foundation for future success.

As parents raising our children in an  increasingly complex (and sometimes crazy) world, we want our children to survive and thrive. We want to equip them to succeed as independent adults. We want them to engage in meaningful work and build a supportive community.  

To succeed, our children must THINK. Our children must be able to use their brains to gather information, evaluate, make decisions, set goals, and connect with others. 

I believe it is primarily our job as parents to teach and train these crucial skills to our children. It is our job to teach our children how to think. However, it is easy to become…

overwhelmed by mountains of available resources

discouraged by the complexity of current research evidence, or

frustrated with conflicting information.

As a busy parent you might ask yourself, “Do I have the time it takes to teach my kids how to think? Do I have the right resources? Do I understand how to do this? Can I do this?” The answer to these questions is yes!

You can teach your child to think, on any budget, with everyday interactions that are simple, informal, and intentional.

At Thriving Little Thinkers you will NOT find topics of discipline, crisis and trauma, or neurodivergence (autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, etc.). There are wonderful experts in those areas to help you. 

You CAN expect low cost high impact resources in the areas of brain basics, academic thinking, and critical thinking. These may look like practical action steps, brain health tips, book recommendations, research highlights, and more.

Here’s a quick look at content you might find here at Thriving Little Thinkers:

TopicContent
Brain Basics Brain health and function, environments for best brain performance, building basic thinking skills (attention, executive function, resilience, memory, growth mindset), learning styles
Academic thinking
Accumulation of facts and knowledge 		Literacy, numeracy, education philosophies and approaches (including our homeschooling experience), practical teaching tips
Critical thinking
Moving beyond facts and knowledge to thoughtfully evaluate an idea, develop questions, reflect on different arguments, and develop a reasonable conclusion		Evaluating information, the power of questions, experiential learning, making wise decisions, awareness of your thoughts (i.e.  metacognition)

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If you have questions, topics you would like to see, or feedback please email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

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