By Kathy Kuhl In today’s post, I share math resources from experts in teaching math to kids with challenges. Most of these resources are free. Writing numbers is tough for some kids Does your child write numbers backwards? Or does his or her hand move the wrong direction, pushing the pencil up to draw a…
By Kathy Kuhl, a preview of Math Word Problems from Literature Word problems should be the most practical part of math. They should answer the perennial question, “What good is this?” Yet they are often the most hated math. Why? Students don’t know how to solve them. So Denise Gaskins has written an expanded and updated…
by Kathy Kuhl Christopher Woodin recently sent me great news. “I recently completed a comprehensive Gen Ed. Primary Numeracy program. You will like it. It parallels my work with Nessy. Check it out.” And it’s free! Who is Christopher Woodin? Mr. Woodin is one of my best sources of help for students who struggle with…
By Kathy Kuhl Does your child struggle with math? Last time I discussed how handwriting struggles or attitudes of fear, discouragement, or despair can keep your child or teen from learning math. (Visit that post.) Today let’s look at three other ways students struggle–and how to help! 3. Develop their Sense of Number…
By Kathy Kuhl Most adults know how it feels to struggle with math. But some children feel hopelessness about math every single day. They may struggle for many reasons: fine motor difficulty, poor sense of number, language-based learning disabilities, trouble remembering, fear, or discouragement. But new developments in neuroscience help us understand the difficulties….
By Kathy Kuhl If you’ve heard me speak on teaching math to kids with learning challenges, you know I recommend the multisensory math strategies developed by Marilyn Zecher of the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Training Center. Some of my best ideas for teaching math lessons grew out of projects I created while taking her classes….
By Kathy Kuhl Review of Let’s Play Math: How Families Can Learn Math Together—and Enjoy It by Denise Gaskins. 290 pages. Tabletop Academy Press. What if we’ve been teaching mathematics the wrong way? Denise Gaskins’ new book, Let’s Play Math, is revolutionizing how I think about the subject. She is a veteran homeschool mom who…
by Kathy Kuhl When we teach math, we must show why things are so, or better yet, help our children to discover them for themselves. But how can we show negative numbers with manipulatives—counters or some other tokens that help our kids discover what’s true? It’s easy to show addition and subtraction with positive numbers….
by Kathy Kuhl Last week I explained how to fill in the gaps in your child’s math learning by adding customized daily review of those gap areas. But how do I know what to put on the cards, asks one parent. That depends on what’s missing from your math curriculum. From where I sit, I…
by Kathy Kuhl Make Your Own Math Review Cards for Systematic Refreshers Ever noticed a topic is missing in your child’s math curriculum—or in your child’s general math knowledge? “What? He still doesn’t know days of the week?” “She has no clue how long an inch is.” How do you fill in those gaps? Write…
ALEKS online math instruction is offering a free 48 hour trial. Several homeschoolers have found this helpful for young students and teens. My favorite website for help teaching math is Chris Woodin’s. He is one of the nation’s experts on teaching math to children with challenges. A teacher at the Landmark School, his website is full of…
Teaching Math Facts to a Struggling Learner Try to work on facts every day for 5 to 10 minutes. Some days, let the child pick which method to drill with. Here are a few suggestions: Flash cards, (If you make your own, write answers on the backs, but make sure the answer can’t be read through…
When Math Doesn’t Come Easily By Kathy Kuhl Specific learning difficulties in math can appear as trouble with remembering math facts, understanding math concepts, understanding the language of mathematics, or planning. Some things that look like disabilities in learning math are emotional blocks from years of failure (pseudo-dyscalculia) or inadequate instruction. Other learning disabilities can…
by Kathy Kuhl Make time for music? If you’re homeschooling a child with learning challenges, you may think you’ve got more urgent business. Maybe not. Music opens minds Music can stir hearts, inspire, and open minds—and mouths. This nine-year-old boy’s awestruck reaction to hearing Mozart last week got me thinking. Ronan Mattin has autism and…
by Kathy Kuhl “If you teach to your children’s learning styles, they’ll learn better,” they told me. But what if you can’t tell how your child learns best? That was my problem. Learning Styles: Popular Theories One of the most popular theories of learning styles is based on the idea that people prefer different way…
By Kathy Kuhl Last month, I had coffee with a homeschooler I hadn’t seen in years. We met to talk about what she had learned homeschooling two exceptional, dynamic, and wildly different children. To preserve her their privacy, I’ll call the mother “Ann.” Doctor suggested her daughter be institutionalized I knew that Ann was…
By Kathy Kuhl Part 2 of a series on twice exceptional children. Read part one here. Understanding that a child is gifted as well as learning disabled is just as as important as learning either fact on its own. Imagine if Anne Sullivan had known only that Helen Keller was deaf and not blind. It’s…
By Kathy Kuhl When I speak on homeschooling high school students with learning challenges, parents often ask: What about transcripts? How do I decide when and whether to give a diploma? Often, I receive some version of this question, which came up on a Facebook group recently: Do you ever worry that your student will…
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