BJU Press Blog

K5

One Thing Your Kids Need to Know to Excel at Math

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In this age of chip-card transactions and smartphone “tap and pay,” I don’t usually have a reason to carry much cash. When I do need some extra cash, I go to the ATM at my local bank. I usually have a specific item that I need cash for, so I know exactly how much I need down to the dollar. But the ATM lets me withdraw only in multiples of ten. It’s one of life’s minor frustrations.

Have you ever wondered why so many things are broken down by tens? Why is the number ten so important to our society? No one’s sure, but some historians theorize that it’s because humans have ten fingers.

Regardless of why, our number system based on ten is one of the most pervasive aspects of human society. Nearly all countries and cultures use the base-ten number system for everyday uses. As adults we take understanding it for granted, but base ten can be a difficult concept for kids to pick up, and learning it early is critical for math success.

What is base ten?

Base ten is the number system that we use every day that uses columns to show place value. When a number is written out, each digit is assigned a column to show its value. We can see from the graphic below, the value of the 5 is ten times greater than the 3, while the 6 is one-tenth its value. This pattern continues as you move left or right.

Why is base ten important?

Getting a firm grasp on base ten is key to understanding math. Once your child understands how base ten works, many new doors will be opened.

If children lack a good understanding of the base-ten number system, they’ll have a hard time counting or visualizing quantities. They may only be able to count by ones, instead of by tens or hundreds. Learning more advanced math concepts such as long division becomes nearly impossible.

If a child doesn’t understand that the 5 in 58 actually represents 50, then lots of calculation problems can begin to show up as you move into more complex concepts, leading to a lot of frustration for both parent and child.

How and when should I teach my kids base ten?

It’s important to start early. BJU Press Math introduces this concept in K5 and reinforces it throughout the early grades.

The key to mastering base ten is visualization. Separating groups of ten from groups of ones visually early on helps develop understanding. This can be accomplished using hands-on manipulatives such as Unifix cubes or pennies.

Take a look at page 81 of BJU Press Math K5 Worktext.

The worktext asks the child to circle the group of ten that is visually separate from the remaining items. It then asks the child to write the numeral below. The image groupings above correlate with the tens and ones columns below.

The important thing in teaching this concept is to stick with it. Don’t get frustrated if things don’t click at first.  Keep trying a variety of visualizations and hands-on manipulatives until you find something that your child relates to. Need some ideas? The BJU Press Math K5 Teacher’s Edition is packed full of teaching advice and strategies.

Learn more about BJU Press Math K5

Off to a Great Start: Kindergarten and BJU Press

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Closeup of cute little girl coloring drawing with mother 10415184
© iStockphoto.com/vgajic

Two years ago, my oldest daughter started using the Footsteps for Fours curriculum from BJU Press. Since she was my oldest child, I was both excited and apprehensive about her starting school.  She was young at that point—two months shy of turning four. But everyone assured me that she was ready.  Even at the age of three she loved to learn. She would sit for hours and listen to me or my husband read books. And she asked questions constantly.

As a parent, I wanted my daughter’s introduction to formal schooling to be a good experience. I didn’t want her to suffer through her schoolwork every day for the next fourteen years—I wanted her to like it.

It was also very important to me that what she learned in school would reinforce what my husband and I were teaching her. In our home, we do our best to live out the Word of God in all areas of life. I wanted her schooling to help us with that goal.

BJU Press was perfect for her. She grew so much that first year—not only did she learn foundational skills that helped her learn to read once she reached K5, but she also grew in her understanding of God and the Bible. For example, she learned through stories about Jake and his family (fictional characters that appear in the Footsteps curriculum) the importance God places on loving your neighbors and sharing your faith. That year she was so burdened for one of our neighbors who was unsaved that, on her own initiative, she invited him to an Easter service at our church.

She also learned to love school from the very beginning. The Footsteps for Fours curriculum includes a lot of active learning. Instruction is carefully balanced with the use of learning centers where kids can learn through play. And there’s no dry lecturing—instead there are a lot of stories, singing, action rhymes, and hands-on activities. I also appreciated the fact that what she was learning was not only age appropriate, but the concepts built on one another in a logical manner. She was never frustrated by her schoolwork.

My daughter completed the BJU Press K5 materials about a month ago. But, in a way, she never finished school. She loves learning so much that she’s always doing school in her imagination. I often find her and her younger sister up in their room playing school with their dolls. She is usually the teacher, but sometimes she is the student. A few days ago, we took a walk to a nearby playground. When we arrived, my middle daughter immediately headed for the swings, but my oldest daughter sat down at a picnic table, pulled a pencil and small notebook out of her pocket, and informed me that she needed to work on her schoolwork. She had assigned herself the task of writing the names of the days of the week in order.  School is fun for her, and I attribute that, at least in part, to the BJU Press curriculum.