Nurturing Your Child's Math and Literacy in Pre-K–Fifth Grade: The Family Connection

With recent changes in the curriculum and standards in language arts and mathematics, parents often are challenged to find ways to help their children be successful in their learning endeavors. While parents want to be involved in their children’s education, they are often unsure of their role in their children’s learning and the best ways to help their children to succeed academically. Moreover, with the changes in how math and literacy are being taught, parents often struggle with helping even first grade children with their homework.
In this book we set out to alleviate this struggle, by offering parents a resource they can use to navigate their child’s education, communicate with teachers, and support their children in learning mathematics and literacy. After providing an overview of the current educational climate and tips for communication with teachers, we share strategies and suggestions parents can use to assist their children in language arts and mathematics. We provide detailed descriptions of activities, games, books, and conversations that connect with what children will be learning at each grade level.

Mary Mueller, Ed.D, is an Associate Professor of elementary and special education at Seton Hall University who specializes in teacher preparation and development in mathematics. Dr. Mueller has combined her research on the development of mathematical reasoning, math education and teacher preparation to examine the collaboration between teachers and families in supporting children’s literacy and mathematics learning.

Alisa Hindin, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor of Educational Studies at Seton Hall University where she teaches courses in literacy methods and teacher education. For over 15 years, Dr. Hindin has been involved in research on ways to build effective partnerships between home and school.