Everybody knows that children who are read to become better readers. But many parents are stumped when it comes to "doing math" with their kids. Yet it is as easy — and tasty — as ordering a pizza for dinner. First, there's estimation: How much will you need? How long will it take? Geometry skills come into play for delivery instructions. Addition and subtraction are essential for paying the bill and checking change. Tips are all about percentages. And finally, when you're ready to dive in and feast, you have to divide up the pie so everybody gets their fair share. Have some fractions with your pepperoni!

Math is everywhere. Math is indispensable. And Math is fun. Really.

Visual Learning helps young children, ages Pre-K through Grade 4, master the basic mathematical concepts they need for success in school, and in life. Kids - even those too young to read-are already accomplished visual learners. MathStart books play to their strengths by using info-graphics, illustrations and, of course, stories. Pictures, Words, & Math: It's a powerful combination.

Helping kids be better at math is a joy. The opportunities to "do math" together are everywhere. To help get you started, each of my books includes two pages of suggested activities.

So go out there and start doing math with your kids! You'll have a blast. I promise.

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to learn about time. Here are some books you can read together with your children, and some activities that reinforce skills you can do around the house or while out running errands.

It's About Time!
(Hours / Level 1): Being able to read analog and digital clock faces, and understanding "A.M.", "P.M", "Noon" and "Midnight" are important skills for daily life.

Activities: What Time Is It? (Ages 3 +)

· Draw pictures together of daily activities. Note the times of those activities on the pictures.

· As you and your child go through the day, stop and note the activities you are doing and the time. For example, say to your child, "It's lunch-time" and show your child a clock and say "We eat lunch at 12 o'clock. That's Noon." Be sure to show your child the numbers on the clock that correspond to your words.

Get Up and Go!
(Time Lines / Level 2): Constructing and interpreting timelines helps children determine elapsed time using skills such as "adding on" to find sums.

Activities: Time Lines (Ages 6 +)

· Create a time line of your child's morning routine. You can use pencil, strips of paper, yarn or string - just make sure each "minute" is the same length! Then talk about it using math vocabulary: Does the time it takes to eat breakfast equal the time it takes to get dressed? Is it more than? Less than? What activity takes the least time? The most time?

· Talk about time and sequence whenever you do errands together. Create timelines for grocery shopping, filling up at the gas station, or going to a sports event.

Game Time! (Time / Level 3): The relationships between the various units of time- seconds, minutes, hours, days, and weeks-and how clocks and calendars represent these units are important concepts for children to understand.

Activities: Units of Time (Ages 7 +)

· Together with your child, figure out how old he or she is in months, weeks and days. How many months, weeks, and days-old are brothers and sisters? Best friends? Cousins?

· Predict how long different activities - including chores - will take. Will a trip to the store take an hour? How many minutes is that? How long will it take to drive to grandma's house? For chores that take less than a minute, such as drying a dish, predict the duration in seconds. Then time the activity to see how close the estimate was.

From Kittens to Cats

Inspired by Pepper's Journal: A Kitten's , the first graders at Schyulkill Elementary School in Phoenixville, PA, charted the progress of Bandit, a kitten adopted from the SPCA by family in the school district. On the first Friday of every month, Bandit went to school. The kids started out trying to estimate how long his tail was. Then they measured it. They did the same for his left leg, width-of-body, and length from head-to-tail, practicing first on their favorite stuffed animals brought in from home.

Over the school year, little Bandit was also weighed and his growth recorded on a line graph. The kids even figured out how to measure the right amount of food to put in Bandit's bowl. Each child created a "Bandit's Journal," using all the data that had been gathered over the year, along with their wonderful drawings. We also used Stuart's books Mighty Maddie to learn about Comparing Weights, Get Up and Go! to understand Elapsed Time, and A House for Birdie to introduce the concept of Capacity.

-- Virginia Salava, Vice Principal, Schyulkill Elementary School, Phoenixville, PA

How Teachers (and Parents and Kids) Use MathStart is one of my favorite pages on our website. Please send your ideas! We update the list twice a year, and we're still collecting new ideas for Spring. Please send yours to feedback@stuartjmurphy.com. Thanks!

Pepper Factoid: Cats can see 5 times better than people in low light!