Speaking of abstract concepts like time...
A couple of years ago, the kids and I invented a way for them to better understand time which worked surprisingly well for them. I thought I'd pass it along in case any if y'all have younger kids. (Actually, I'm lying. This is less about me wanting to be helpful and more about me not wanting to be perceived as loony if you see me do it!)
Time is one of those kind of abstract concepts that my kids had a tough time grasping. And I think it is even harder now that we are not always surrounded by analog clocks. JJ especially needs ways for ideas to become concrete (just imagine our conversations about God!)
I started showing them time as a measurement of length. I arbitrarily picked 1 foot as the measurement of an hour because it is easy to estimate. Then it followed that a half-hour is 6 inches, and ten minutes is 2 inches.
When they ask how long something is, I just show them the distance between my fingers. I was surprised at how quickly they caught on to it!
Now that KK is able to tell time on a clock, she doesn't need the system anymore, but JJ still uses it quite frequently.
Oh, and a side note: don't teach them how to tell time until you have to. (Spoiler alert: it happens in grade 1, sigh ;). When mama's having a bad day and just! needs! bedtime! it's a lot harder to sneak the kids into bed early once they can read the clock. Just sayin'.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hi everyone! I love your comments, so please add lots! Please respect our privacy/paranoia however and be careful not to reveal any identifying information in your comments. My family thanks you!