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.