The emphasis on encouraging kids to read and write often leaves maths and numbers overlooked. But maths is just as crucial an ability as reading! We use maths everyday of the week. Whether it’s dividing up the food bill at a restaurant, or working out how much your friend’s requested sixth of a birthday cake actually looks like in size. Motivating your children to practise their maths skills, from a young age, is a no brainer for their future success.
It’s plain to see why parents and teachers alike find it easier to keep their kids interested in reading in comparison to maths. Maths is hard! When children make a mistake, they’re likely to give up straight away. Stop this inherent nature to quit before they’ve started by encouraging your kids every step of the way.
Puzzles
Puzzles which involve numbers such as Sudoku or bingo are a great place to start to get your child to grips working with numbers. Ease them in and get their brain up and running with this fun warm up activity.
Relate to the Real World
Children often find it difficult to grasp concepts which they can’t find an immediate use for. Just like they won’t use a word again if they’re likely to forget its meaning, if they can’t see the need for a maths sum they’ll disregard it. Encourage your kids into thinking that maths is handy in the everyday world. Teach them fractions by portioning up the pizza they’re having for their dinner one evening. Similarly ask them to solve problems at the supermarket such as how much change you should receive or how much three bags of sweets would cost.
Money
As soon as children understand the importance of money, they’re more likely to recognise the value of maths. Adding a £ sound to the front of a big number suddenly makes it less daunting for a child and more appealing, after all, a bigger sum equals more toys! Board games involving money such as Monopoly or Payday are good ways to get them practicing addition and subtraction without them realising they are doing so.
Video Games
It’s hard to keep your kids interested in learning from home when computers and the TV are a constant distraction. Why not combine your children’s love of video games with practising their maths skills by finding suitable online games. Trial them yourself first, to check they’re challenging enough to be productive. Get them to record their high scores to monitor progress by working out the average scores.
Motivating pupils to stay interested in maths needn’t be difficult with these methods. Set a good example by working out the grocery shopping out loud, instead of reaching for the calculator on your mobile. And finally, reward progress appropriately. If your child correctly works out how many sweets will be left if you take away 10, let them eat up the remainder!
Do you have any other tips for keeping children motivated in maths? Comment your advice and experiences below to help fellow parents or teachers.
Laura Beecroft is a writer who hasn’t forgotten the importance of maths in a dictionary discipline. She blogs to encourage you to nurture a future Einstein and she writes for Classroom Carrots
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