How to Teach Math Using Doman’s Red Dot Cards

42 thoughts on “How to Teach Math Using Doman’s Red Dot Cards”

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4. Thank you so much for the brief.It gives us new hope towards RBS,for the new moms like me.

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7. hi dr…
   Hope you are good. In ready to play doman cards section ..only till day 24 is available…whether remaining part is available somewhere else ?? sorry for the inconvenience

   1. Hi Rahila – this page is still a work in progress with new days added every couple of days. You can begin now. I will be sure to keep ahead of your progress.

      1. Thank you very much

8. Hi Shen-Li,
   Thank you so much for this clear and detailed explanation!
   I’m just wondering how you show multiplication and division equations? Do you just say “Four times three equals twelve”, while showing the appropriate cards, and the child somehow gets it? Or do you show them four cards with three dots each? How exactly does it work?
   Thanks again!

   1. My pleasure Aura. Yes, in the instructions from Doman, you would say “four (show four dots) times three (show three dots) equals twelve (show twelve dots). This may help your child know the answers to multiplication but I feel it is still important to teach with physical manipulatives later on why 4×3=12 by demonstrating 4 groups of 3 objects becomes 12. The latter will help reinforce the “why” and build a deeper understanding for later maths.

      Regarding your other question – all ten cards are flashed three times a day. I don’t know why Doman advises us to divide the cards into two lots of five but all ten cards are shown in the same session. So it’s really three sessions of ten cards, just that the ten cards are shown five at a time.

      1. Thank you!

9. Sorry, one more question: you say at the beginning to divide the 10 cards into 2 sets of 5, and then flash them three times a day. Does that mean flash all ten three times a day? Five in each session, so you’re doing six sessions, or all ten in each session?

10. How and when to introduce algebra? Please guide

    1. Hi Neha – algebra is quite an abstract topic so it can be trickier for children to understand. There is a wonderful app called DragonBox which introduces algebra concepts to children in a fun way through game play. It is recommended for children from age 5. You can see it here – https://dragonbox.com/

       1. Thank you so much for your reply. My kids are 2.5 year old. So which math concepts can be introduced at this age group and how? Please guide

       2. Hi Neha,

          At this age, you can play simple games that reinforce basic arithmetic concepts taught in Doman’s red dot card program – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You can supplement the learning using manipulatives to help young children understand it through a concrete demonstration. E.g. using counters, you can show that 4 items plus 5 items equals 9 items; 4 items multiplied by 5 times equals 20 items.

          You can also demonstrate the concept of fractions – I can cut this cake in half; one slice is one eighth of the cake; when we share this portion, it is one sixteenth. You can also use manipulatives to reinforce fractions learning or things like LEGO blocks make great hands-on learning for math.

          In the kitchen, you can teach concepts measuring – weight and cups – through cooking recipes. Making something they like to eat adds an aspect of fun to the learning.

          You can teach your child the names of shapes – square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, circle, etc. Look for objects that match these shapes – e.g. a stop sign is an octagon (it has 8 sides).

          Teach patterns – arrange the blocks in alternating colours, e.g. red, blue, red, blue. When that’s easy, add another colour (or shape).

          Compare sizes – can you order these toys from smallest to biggest?

          Order – which one is the third one? Fifth one? 10th one? etc.

          There are so many different games you can play that can incorporate math elements.

11. Your explanation is neat and clear… Thanks a lot for your detailed explanation. One question is, when you show additional equation 7+2=9, do we need to show symbol card as well ? For plus + sign and equal = sign ? Or to just say orally is enough ? Please clarify…

    1. No, it is not necessary to show the symbol card. You can say “one”, show the one dot card, plus “two”, show the two dot card, equals “three”, show the three dot card. You show each card depicting the numbers but not the signs. However, later on, if you wish to show your child that plus is represented by the sign “+” and equals by the sign “=”, you may do so. In teaching equations, you don’t have to.

       1. Thank you for your inputs Shen-Li

12. Hi mam, I was initially struggling to prepare materials, but with your doman math page it is full by itself. I am just showing the way it is to my 20 month old. Thank you. However I am having a elder one to whom i was showing patterened dot cards. Can we have the same package with patterened dots as well like day1 day2 etc. ( asking help because he’s only interested if show in laptop). Thanks in advance mam.

    1. Hi Sowmya. Have you seen the sets for the weekly lessons? The Math cards there contain patterned dots and organised dots.

       https://rightbrainchild.com/rbe-home-practice-lesson-plans/

13. Hi ,
    Your explanations are mind blowing. I have a doubt could you please clear. do we need shuffle 1 to 10 cards and split it into two sets?
    Shuffling the cards will not be in sequential order right

    1. Hi Jansi. Yes – the cards should be shuffled before dividing into two sets of five cards. This is done so the cards are not in sequential order.

14. Hi mam
    My son’s age is 2.8. Is that possible to do both the methods now? If it is possible which method I should do first

    1. Doman Maths is usually recommended for children 3 years and below. At 2.8 years, you can certainly give it a go. I personally do not believe it makes a difference which method you choose. It depends on which you are comfortable with. If you have the time and can continue, I would recommend doing one method followed by the other. The repetition of the complete program all over again is important. It is generally harder to work with an older child, but I still believe you should try. At this age, I would also recommend reinforcing the learning by using manipulatives (https://rightbrainchild.com/2021/05/25/the-purpose-of-manipulatives-for-learning-maths/).

15. Thank you so much for your reply.
    Which is better (Random red dot cards or sequencial dot cards)?

    1. Hi Jansirani – sorry for the late reply. For some reason, your comment went into the spam folder and I did not see it. Random and sequential both have their purpose. Shichida believes both should be incorporated into your math program. You can read more about how Shichida teaches the math program here – https://rightbrainchild.com/2020/06/04/how-to-teach-math-using-shichidas-65-day-program/

16. Hi mam
    How to teach for reading

    1. We cover the Doman reading program in our membership section: https://rightbrainchild.com/2020/12/02/doman-reading-program/

       You can also use the BrillKids Little Reader program – https://rightbrainchild.com/2020/06/08/brillkids-little-reader-teach-your-child-to-read/

       Or you can download our free reading flashcards here – https://rightbrainchild.com/2020/06/09/reading-flash-cards/

17. Thanks for your valuable words. How can we decide that the child had been stimulated by the right brain education method?

    1. Hi Jansirani. I recommend reading this post if you haven’t already: https://rightbrainchild.com/2011/09/29/right-brain-education-unveiled/

18. Hi,

    I want to start the Doman math method with my 9 month old and 2.9 month old.

    Do I follow day 1-50 exactly how you explained it above?

    1. Yes. Day 1 to 50 is the start of the Doman Math program. This builds the foundation. After that, you can move to numerals and other math topics, like sequences, greater than and less than, equalities and inequalities, number personality, fractions and algebra.

19. Great post, thank you! My son is 33 months old, outside the recommended age range for Doman’s math program. I still, however, would like to give it a try with my kid. Are you familiar with any success stories applying the Doman program with kids older than 30 months?

    1. Hi Ada. The Doman dot program for children over 30 months can provide a basic foundation in number concepts, sequences and basic arithmetic. It can be supported further by demonstrating the concepts with physical manipulatives, such as counters, or an abacus. I believe this should be the direction even when teaching children below 30 months because they will not retain the math knowledge if it is not reinforced with further repetitions.

20. Hello ma’am,
    My son is 3 yr 10 months now, we started RBE when he was 2.6 years and our program is on/ off since then but I have always tried to be consistent. My son isn’t doing problem solving, so I was little concerned on how to make his maths stronger using Right brain techniques, kindly help how to make maths dot cards interesting and what else can I do apart from flashcards to make maths a fun subject

    1. Hi. You can change up your flashcards to include pictures of things your son likes instead of the red dots. I also recommend incorporating physical manipulatives to reinforce mathematical concepts. I have a post on it here – https://rightbrainchild.com/2021/05/25/the-purpose-of-manipulatives-for-learning-maths/

       Using Montessori techniques to support your math lessons is also a good way. You can get some tips for this here – https://montessorifortoday.com/how-does-montessori-teach-math/

       1. Hmm thanks ma’am.. I had one more query just doing the math program even if my son is seeing cards and sometimes he gives answers in problem solving will also make him love maths?.. i never force maths, sometimes he jumps looking at dot cards and wants to jump (for 3 dots, 3 times he jumps) i just want him to love maths in future and have a strong mathematics base.. can I expect the results later ?? Or he just doesn’t want to show up now? I dont understand how is this working in my case.. kindly help

       2. That sounds like he is enjoying the program. If he wants to jump, let him. It is part of what makes learning about math enjoyable for him. It can set the foundation for understanding math and perhaps enjoyment of the subject but it does not guarantee that he will always love it. There are too many factors in life that can alter his interests as he grows older – for example, a bad math teacher. All we can do is try to set the right start for our children. Exposure to math early can help.

       3. Ohk ma’am what activities apart from flashcards i can do to develop a better understanding of maths concept

       4. Hi! I will add a post soon to provide some activities and ideas for this. In the meantime, you can check out the math section in supplementary activities and materials section – https://rightbrainchild.com/rbe-supplementary-activities-and-materials/

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