Top 5 Math Storytime Books to Boost Your Child’s Math Skills

Reading storytime books before bed is an age-old activity that not only gives you quality time with your child, but also provides them with lifelong learning benefits.

Such is seen in study by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where they observed that children’s memory and association with word meanings become activated and strengthened when listening to stories. As one of the researchers states, “The more you read to your child, the more you help the neurons in this region to grow and connect in a way that will benefit the child in the future in reading”. If reading to your child before bed yields these results, then what would happen if you read them math storytime books?

In a study by the University of Chicago, it was shown that reading math storytime books to your child before bedtime helps them learn and develop a stronger understanding of foundational math concepts. In incorporating math into this nighttime routine, your child establishes a genuine interest and understanding of the subject, lessening the risk of math anxiety in the future.

To help you get started on reading math storytime books to your child, here are five great books that highlight math concepts in fun and innovative ways:

1. Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late by Laura Overdeck

This engaging book series provides children with math problems shaped into exciting little stories to keep your child entertained and motivated about math! Each problem showcases a story reminiscent to real-life situations, yet presents them in a way that appeals to children. Another great feature about this math storytime book series is that it offers three levels to each problem it presents, helping children at different math levels and ages accomplish an understanding of the problem at hand.

2. Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Ten Black Dots is an amazing book to help introduce young children to basic math concepts, creativity and visual learning skills. As a highly interactive math storytime book, it motivates children to practice their counting skills, as each page showcases a certain number of dots in different yet whimsical settings. The book also includes rhymes with each illustration, making the book a fun, simple yet delightful way to learn foundational math!

3. A Place for Zero by Angeline Sparagna Lopresti

Rich with wordplay, the story of A Place for Zero keeps its readers intrigued by its enticing manner of visually depicting the role of zeroes in place value. It combines math and fiction in a dynamic way, bringing numbers and mathematical symbols to life as playful and lively characters. Though heavily involving the aspects of storyline, this vibrant math storytime book brings children delight in exploring math concepts.

4. 7 Ate 9  by Tara Lazar

Laden with math puns and humour, 7 Ate 9 is a math storytime book that is enjoyable to read for both children and parents! Captivating readers with mystery and action as well, math is mentioned in every page, letting children become more comfortable with recognizing numbers and math symbols in the process. Along with its play on words and clever writing, both children and parents will appreciate the creatively incorporated math references in this amusing tale.

5. How Much Is a Million?  by David M. Schwartz

This last math storytime book has been arguably named as a classic, as parents have read this book when they were children themselves. Featuring Marvelosissimo the mathematical magician, this book helps children fully grasp the concept of large, complex numbers with jubilant illustrations. As numbers like a million can be hard for children to differentiate from another number like 100, How Much Is a Million showcases everyday objects like stars to help them effectively conceptualize and understand the enormity of billion, trillion, etc. – all in a fascinating artistic portrayal.

Investing in reading math storytime books to your child, especially at a young age, sets them on a path to math mastery. These books will bring imagination, creativity and interest in learning math, allowing children to easily absorb math concepts. 

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Citations:
A small dose of bedtime math goes a long way – brookings.edu
A bedtime math story – livemint.com
Benefits of Reading to Your Child: Building a Lifelong Habit – ccaeducate.me
BEDTIME MATH: A FUN EXCUSE TO STAY UP LATE – bedtimemath.org
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews – youngmathematicians.edc.org
A PLACE FOR ZERO: A MATH ADVENTURE​ – mathsthroughstories.org
7 Ate 9: The Untold Story – taralazar.com
How Much Is a Million? (Reading Rainbow Books) – readaloudrevival.com