Do you want to practice decomposing number 10 with the LEGO characters? Decomposition is a skill that requires practice. In an earlier lesson we decomposed number 5 (click here), today we are moving up to 10.
Math for little kids is about laying a strong foundation. They might know what number 10 is, but number 10 is more than the name it holds. Truly understanding a number requires the ability to compose and decompose it. Read more about First Math Lessons here.
What you need
- LEGO pieces to build a two-level house
- 10 LEGO characters
What to do
Start by building a LEGO house that has two floors.
When the house is built ask your kids to place all the LEGO characters inside. Say, “I noticed you placed two people on the first floor and eight on the second.”
After discussing the placement for some time, say, “”Right now you have 2 people on the top floor and 8 people on the bottom floor. Let’s write it down 2+8= What’s the total number of LEGO men?” Give them time to think.
“Can you find more than one way to place LEGO people inside the house?”
If your child is confused, prompt with, “What if this LEGO man feels dizzy and wants to move down from the second floor. How many men do we have on each floor now? What if this repairman needs to go upstairs to fix the bathtub? How many LEGO men on each floor now? What if Superman wants to help the repairman and goes upstairs too? How many now?” Write it all down.
Additional Prompts
How many ways do you think there are?
What makes you say that?
Do you want to try?
Thank you for sharing these useful tips.I posted a link to KidMinds on my Bookmarks section on http://notcy.com to spread the word.
Merely a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw great design .
This is a great way to break down math for kids! :] (Hooray for the use of legos!) My friend works at a company that does after-school programs for kids that uses legos to help them with learning different things–I just met up with her today for brunch, so I was reminded of that. :]!