Importance of math manipulatives
Young boys and girls lack the perception of understanding abstract things straight from the book. What they need to do is to see real things in life so that they understand what is written in print. For example, if they see the number two written on the book, that is a little complex to understand. However, in such case, math manipulatives are helpful, since in reality the moment they see two apples or two fingers, they clear the perception of the number two.
Math becomes easier to learn with math manipulatives. In this case, money makes the best type of math manipulative. To be precise, math manipulative help to transform the basic understanding of math in a very concrete manner. Witnessing the intricacies of math helps children to realize the fundamental concepts of the subject. The best manipulative that can be used while teaching math to your children incorporates cubes, rods and other things. If you let the children use the manipulative, then they will be able to understand the basic math skills to perform calculations that are more complex.
Many children have problems with numbers straight from the book. The math manipulative can be used in such case – illustrations like going to the shop and using money will help the children to understand the underlying concept of the basic complexities of the subject that is visible at a glance. The concept of decimals is also very clear and children have no problem in calculating without a pen or a pencil.
Mentors nowadays do not apply the same logic as written in the book. They use their own ideas and manipulatives to give a new meaning to the reasoning written plainly. Teachers must see to it that students are being able to relate between the concept and the action. Pictorial representation and symbolic representation are very important, and along with it, verbal representation is incorporated. Hence, it can be said that the math manipulative helps to bridge the gap between the concrete and the abstract idea.