Home is the place to hone math skills

I read this article, "Home is place to hone math skills", in an American newspaper from Evansville Indiana by a teacher, Wendy McCormick who is advising parents how to help their children with math. Many of her ideas correspond with the philosophy of the is blog. In particular she suggests:

"A simple and enjoyable way to provide this exposure (to mathematics) is through games.
There is a wide variety of commercial products in stores for all age groups.

However, some of the items around your house can provide all the materials you need to create your own. For instance, take an illustration from your child's favorite picture book or even the photograph from the front page of the paper and play "Can You Spot the Math?" Look for and name details with a mathematical eye. A picture of two children playing in the snow may turn into 2 hats + 4 gloves = Warm Kids. Younger students can just count and name the quantities of different items that they see.

Also, use the everyday tasks in your life that involve math to sneak in a little practice.
Children can help keep a running total of the estimate for groceries as you go through the store. The person who is closest to the actual total at the checkout lane is the winner.

If you have a primary age student with you, ask him to identify the coins or help you count them as you give them to the cashier.

Little games such as these don't take long and might actually distract your kids from begging for every new snack item conveniently stocked at their eye level.

Whether you are on the floor making patterns or helping them with homework at the kitchen table, time spent exploring the world of numbers with your children will exponentially multiply their mathematical success and may even save you a few gray hairs in the long run."

I hope you agree that these are simple and practical ideas.