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The Right Brain Education Math Program was first conceived by Glenn Doman when he began the Red Dot Card Math Program. Since then, a number of ways to teach this program have been developed. You can read more about them here:
The Purpose of Early Math Exposure
While there are many reasons to start early, I believe that the fundamental reason is to instill a love for numbers. This sets the tone for learning Math in the later years – that it is a subject of interest and enjoyment. Here are more reasons to start early:
- Develop Early Numeracy
Through early experiences of seeing numbers and mathematical information, young children can develop numeracy. By teaching your child during their early years, you will help them learn math concepts naturally and intuitively. This helps to transform math from a daunting subject into an enjoyable one. - Encourage a Positive Attitude Towards Math
Young children have a natural aptitude for learning easily. Starting early helps your child develop a positive attitude towards mathematics. Instead of fearing math, your child will learn to associate math with joyful experiences counting and learning about numerals and quantities in a loving home environment. - Moving from Quantities to Numerals
The Right Brain Education Math Program begins by teaching quantity concepts from 0 to 100. Further sessions will guide your child towards associating numerals with quantities, giving your child a more meaningful understanding of numbers. - Creating a Strong Base for Meaningful Math
In addition to quantities and numerals, your child will be introduced to the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Beginning with short equations using low numbers, your child will start to learn about how each operation functions.
Right Brain Education Math
Materials:
- Red Dot Cards
- Picture dot cards (Printables or Digital use)
- Pattern dot cards (Printables or Digital use)
Methods:
As mentioned earlier, there are several ways to teach your child Maths following Right Brain Education philosophies. Three methods are outline in the following posts:
What’s the difference between these programs? The basic concept underlying all three programs is the same, however, the method of conduct is slightly different for each. You do not need to do all three programs as they are fairly similar in content.
For ease of running lessons, BrillKids Little Math is the most convenient to use. Each day is already planned for you and all you need to do is click and play. The downside to Little Math is that it is a digital program and there is no option for physical flashcards (if that is your preference).
The Glenn Doman Red Dot Math program was the original right brain education math program (although it has never gone under that name). It has had years of proven success for many parents. Some parents, however, have found the lessons to be overly repetitive.
Shichida’s 65 Day Math Program is a modified version of the Glenn Doman Red Dot Math program. Although it is dubbed the “65 Day” program, it is actually a “260 Day” program as the program is repeated four times.
To overcome the brain’s natural “forgetting” processes, it is important to include repetitions over a period of time. If you start the Math Program when your child is an infant, it is worthwhile to repeat the entire program each year.
Math for Children Over 3 Years Old
The Dots Program is generally recommended for children 3 years and below. What happens if your child is over 3 years old? You can still give it a go. My belief is that you never know what may or may not work for your child until you try it. Every child has their own individual preferences and what works for one child does not necessarily work for another.
For older children, to increase their interest, you can use a different image instead of red dots. It is preferable to choose an image related to a topic that appeals to your child. For example, if your child likes vehicles, use an image of a car in place of the red dot. You can also do this for a child under 3 years if they aren’t interested in red dots.
Is it okay if I don’t use red dots? The reason we use red dots is because red is the colour most easily detected by our eyes. Similarly, this is also why stop lights are red – it is the colour we see first. Doman’s Dot Program was intended for children as young as 3 months. At this age, their eyes are still developing and they cannot see well. Using red dots makes it easier for them to focus. As your child grows older and is able to see more clearly, red dots can become monotonous. This is when using other images can be more effective.
Other Math Programs. If the Dots Program is not working out for your child, you can try another program called See’s Maths Method. It is a physical method for teaching the basic concepts of numerical values and arithmetic. Some children may find it a better method for learning maths. It also incorporates the use of manipulatives which has been shown to improve children’s learning.
Hi,I am Padmaja.I have been following your blog since an year.I have read about SHI math method which you have mentioned it and attached a ppt.I have a dought how to teach addition and subtraction and other equations using this method?I googled it, but couldnt find anything about it even in the website you mentioned.Can you plz add a detailed description about it, as my daughter is not showing interest in dot maths.Thinking other ways to teach math.
Hi Padmaja,
Could I clarify – were you referring to this post – https://www.figur8.net/2010/11/04/sees-maths-method/
It was written 11 years ago so I’m afraid the links may be outdated now. There is an explanation of addition, subtraction, and multiplication in the post but perhaps the description is not clear. I can share an updated post soon with images.
Yes I was reading about this.Sure thank you it would be helpful
I have a couple of queries related to this article:
1. “To overcome the brain’s natural “forgetting” processes, it is important to include repetitions over a period of time. If you start the Math Program when your child is an infant, it is worthwhile to repeat the entire program each year.”
a) Till what age should this whole program be repeated ?
b) When we repeat should the dots/numbers be shown again or should we directly start from equations ?
2. For older children, to increase their interest, you can use a different image instead of red dots.
If we started the program in infancy and we are repeating the program, so is this applicable in that scenario as
well or should we continue with red dots ?
3. Would Brillkids Math be helpful if we have already been doing the Doman Math Program through physical cards ?
4. How is math of Tweedlewink different from that of Brillkids ?
Hi Nidhi –
1. I would suggest repeating the entire program four times – which means from the beginning with dots and numbers as well as equations.
2. Yes, if your child is older when you are in the stage of repeats, it would be good to use other images of interest since red dots may lose their appeal by then.
3. If you are already doing the Doman Math program, it is not necessary to have BrillKids Math as the program overlaps. If you had started first with BrillKids Maths, I would aim to repeat the program twice rather than 4 times since it is a longer program.
4. Tweedlewink incorporates some Montessori and hands-on math elements, whereas Brillkids is strictly flashcards only. Although there is no reason why you cannot add in your own element of hands-on maths. In fact, I would highly encourage you to do that because the hands-on element is very important for a child’s learning and understanding.
Hi Shen-Li,
My Little one is 1.5 years old, and have some queries.
1) can i start showing her the dot flash cards now? will she process?
2) And will she really understand addition/ substraction unless practically applied.
3) and for how long will she remember the equations?
Thanks and Regards,
Sangeetha.
Hi Sangeetha. In answer to your questions:
1. Yes, the dot cards are still fine to use at 1.5 years old. The general recommendation from Doman reps is to start before 3 yo. However, I have always felt that if you are determined to try, it’s always worth giving it a go regardless.
2. Doman believes very young children have an innate understanding for quantities. However, I feel you can extend that understanding by incorporating manipulatives to reinforced the concepts – https://rightbrainchild.com/2021/05/25/the-purpose-of-manipulatives-for-learning-maths/
3. You will need to repeat the lessons over a period of time to retain the learning because there is so much wiring and pruning going on in your child’s brain that it will be forgotten if it isn’t reviewed. So how long she will remember depends on whether you bring the material back for her to see it again.
I hope that answers your questions.