Did you know? Research shows that, in general, the higher the level of math a child takes in high school, the more income they end up making as an adult. Now that’s a great incentive for me as a parent to make sure my child does well in math. Here’s how to help kids learn math.
How To Help Kids Learn Math
Use every day activities to make math fun. I want my children to have the confidence and critical thinking skills that come with understanding mathematical concepts.
Ready-Set-Learn: Math Skills Grade 2
Having good analytical skills that come along with taking those higher levels of math will also help them in life. Evaluating situations when you are shopping, be it in a grocery store, for a car, a house or a loan will come much easier and you can have confidence that you are making the right decision.
So, what can we do to help our children with math?
First, as parents, if we have any issues with math we must make sure that we do not hand these down to our kids. Why give them our baggage?
Even if you do not love math, fake it! Be excited about your child’s math homework, play math games with them or games that require critical thinking.
Please do not tell you kids that their math seems difficult. If they are have issues with understanding a topic, and it is something that you do not remember how to do, tell your child that you will talk with their teacher because you want to be sure that you show them the same method that their teacher is using.
This gives you the chance to have a conversation with the teacher and has the added benefit of buying you time to figure out the math homework yourself.
Never tell your child that their homework is too difficult for you. They look up to you and if you say that you can not do it how are they ever supposed to believe that they can. Lack of confidence will bring on failure.
Now, math doesn’t just have to be about doing math homework. There are ways that you can help your child become better at math and critical thinking that may be more fun for your child, and you for that matter. Playing games is one of the best ways to help your child develop math skills while having fun.
A book that helped us make math fun
I have had a lot of success with the games in “Math Smarts: Tips, Tricks, and Secrets for Making Math More Fun! .”
Get your kids interested in math by keeping a positive attitude, keeping things light and having fun. Who knows, you may just find a love of math that you never knew you had.
Many of these fun brain teasers use math. Your child will LOVE them!
