 Image Credit: Shutterstock Fall is in full swing which means it’s time for apple picking! Did you know that when you quickly choose a tree that has the most apples, you are using your intuitive sense of quantity, or “number sense”? This ability to quickly estimate quantity is a cognitive skill that is thought to be important for children learning math: research has shown that children with a stronger number sense tend to perform better on math tests (Halberda et al., 2008). While these studies have been largely correlational, a 2016 study from Johns Hopkins University investigated whether there could be a causal link between ANS precision and symbolic math performance. In the study, researchers asked 5-year-olds to compare quantities, where the questions started easier and became harder. Control groups saw the same questions but in a different order. Amazingly, researchers found that children who played with the experimental version of the game demonstrated better math performance (on tests of counting, number identification, addition, etc.) immediately afterwards, when compared to control groups that received the training in a different order (Wang et al., 2016). More 4 Monkey was inspired by the research on number sense and its link to math achievement, and it is a fun way for your child to exercise her number sense. In the app, a child is presented with two quantities of objects and is asked “which is more?”. The objects on the screen are only presented for a limited amount of time, to ensure that the child is exercising her number sense. The app provides feedback and gets more difficult as a child progresses through the game. More 4 Monkey is available in the App Store now. We hope you enjoy it, and we look forward to hearing your feedback! Reference:
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