Friends son cant understand numbers before a number? How to help?

[pomegranate1975]

My friends son in first year of school doesnt understand before/backward a number such as e.g "what is before 8?" My friends mum has done hours and hours of teaching to get him to understand what is before a number and he gets mixed up. He knew after the number very well, but then teaching him before got him confused and he is just fluke the numbers. He can say numbers backwards from 10-1 easily in a song way but cant identify any numbers before when shown or spoken. She says she has done number flashcards, body movements of backwards, pictures and so many other but for some reason it has been going on for two weeks of consistent teaching, and hours and hours and he doesnt get it.
She says she has told him different meaning of before, such as backward, behind etc and he will say the meaning but cant get the concept of before and after both together. HE was doing very well with after but now all over the place. How do i help her to teach him? There much be some kid of short cut or another quick way?????

[allisgood1]

Use a number line and a favorite you figure (we use tinkerbell). Show him and say "before is back, after is forward". Example: "what goes before 7? Remember before is back". Then take the figure and make it obviously jump back to 6. Do this with him 4-5 times then see if he can do it on his own. Gradually fade out the figure and the number line.

How old is he?

[Horopu]

TBH I'd give it a rest and do some other stuff with him. Are his school pressing her to give him more support?

[mrz]

Is there any reason she feels she needs to teach it?

[RegrettablyYours]

Try getting him to peg numbers on cards onto a little washing line. Let him do it any old how to start off with. Then you do it, introducing order. Let him copy you. Use clear language to indicate before and after. Take it slowly.

[pomegranate1975]

Its been 8 months into fyos already. We are in Australia as school start end of Jan. Teacher said he needs to know it.

[Nextchapterabouttostart]

Use lego - one brick, with number one written under it, two bricks with number 2 under it - etc all the way to ten, then you can play games with a lego person going from 2 to 3 then back to 2 - you could also make up lots of silly stories about living in number 4, having a friend in number 3 etc -

If possible use different colours for each number block, 3 blocks of blue, 4 blocks of red -

Get the child to make 4, then make 5, make 6 etc.

You can push the blocks together so they go up like stairs & talk about going up to ten & coming down the stairs to 0.

Playing with lego, pasta, lots of concrete materials to show what actually is 1 or what actually makes up 5 -

But make it really fun, if they are not into lego do it with figures or toys they like.

[lougle]

Are you sure he needs to learn 'before'? A number is only 'before' another number if the numbers are in a series/sequence. He'd only be able to say which number is 'before' if he had enough consecutive numbers in the sequence to deduce the formula. E.g. 1,2,3,4,5,... Would have the formula n=n+1.

If what they actually want him to know is which number is 'one more than' or 'one less than' a given number, then those are the terms they should be using.

[mrz]

Agree with lougle. What exactly do they want him to do? Sequence numbers in order or to be able to say which number is one more/less than a given number?

[Ferguson]

You have already had sound advice; it seems a shame for parents in Australia who sometimes have less than satisfactory school experiences.

I'll add my standard Numeracy information below:
?QUOTE:

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths work, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:

ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other

etc, etc

then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

I am sorry it seems complicated trying to explain these concepts, but using Lego or counters should make understanding easier.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

//www.ictgames.com/

//www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html

UNQUOTE