How Do You Teach A Child About Negative Numbers Using Stairs?
Children intuitively grasp the concept of up and down from a very early age. You can use these familiar concepts to give your young child a head start on understanding numbers and the number line, or to give a frustrated student a fresh perspective on the subject. Prepare your stairs. Number each step with masking tape, paper, or whatever you have on hand. If you have access to one, choose a set of stairs with a landing in the center, and number the landing zero. If not, number the center step zero. Label the top of the stairs “POSITIVE(+)”, and the bottom “NEGATIVE(-)”. Have your child start on the center step or landing, at zero. If you are working with a young child, be sure to have another adult or an older child accompany him or her on the stairs! Have your child take one step up, in the positive direction. Ask him to tell you his step’s number. Encourage him to look at the label if necessary. Have your child take one step down, in the negative direction. Ask him to tell you his s
