How Do You Teach Place Value Concepts?
Math concepts are often difficult for children to grasp. Among the most difficult for young children, place value is valuable yet abstract. Teaching young children how to deal with an abstract idea while their mind is still working at the concrete level takes the patience of a teacher and a workable lesson plan. College professor, Richard Garlikov, says that teachers need to approach the subject in a manner children will understand (see References). There are ways to make the abstract more concrete. Introduce the idea of place value by drawing circles on a paper, placing them in groups. First, draw a group of five, then nine and, finally, a group of ten. Draw a line and write “tens” to the right of it. On the right of the word “tens,” draw another line and write “ones” to the right of it. Make several rows of the lines and words. Have your child write the numbers in the correct spaces. Draw a chart with three columns. Create another column across the top by drawing a horizontal line tw
