It is important for all students to have a firm understanding of numbers and how they relate to each other. It begins in the early years when children learn to count and extends into teaching children to count in other patterns, such as by 2's, 5's and 10's. Students should also be taught how to properly write numbers, including those that contain multiple digits. The older the students are, the more complicated numbers they should be able to write and identify.
Knowing how to perform simple calculations is a good foundation for other, more complicated math levels that a student will encounter in high school and beyond. Younger students should learn how to add and subtract numbers, starting with single-digit numbers and moving on to multidigit numbers. Once students have a firm grasp on these functions, teachers should move on to teach multiplication, followed by division. These basic functions are often used in many other areas of math, as well as in everyday life.
Measurements are an important aspect for children to learn in elementary school. This area of math is more commonly used in daily situations than other areas of math. For instance, when you are cooking, it is important to be familiar with measurement techniques for your ingredients. Also, an understanding of the value of money and how it is counted is important for everyone to know. Explaining these elements of measurement at an early age helps students to gain a full understanding of them before they enter higher grade levels and life after school.
While an elementary-aged student does not need to have a firm understanding of geometry and its principles, it is important to begin teaching the basics at a younger age. Most children enter school knowing the names of some basic shapes, such as circles, squares and triangles. As the child moves through her elementary years, expanding on that knowledge to teach the names of more complex shapes, how to measure shapes and formulas for determining the capacity and perimeter of shapes help lay the groundwork for geometry classes on the high school level.
All math involves some type of problem-solving skills. These skills are necessary in many areas of life, not just in the use of numbers. Simple functions, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, teach problem solving. But as the children become more familiar with math concepts, teaching algebraic equations and word problems can help them to relate these concepts to their own lives and set the foundation for more complicated math classes in high school and college. Students will also carry the problem-solving skills they learn in other areas of life.