Maths does not come easily to all children. However, it’s an important part of their academic journey that cannot be avoided. Basic maths skills are essential for everyday life, as you may have noticed when paying a bill or cooking. Mathematics presents children with new ideas and skills and encourages them to make sense of numbers, shapes, and patterns. The ability to confidently solve mathematical problems can be transferred to other areas of their education.
Parent help
Believe it or not, parents can help improve a child’s maths skills significantly by encouraging them to practise at home. You might lack confidence in your own math skills or feel a little anxious that your teaching strategies don’t match up to those at your child’s school. However, there are lots of ways you can simply incorporate maths into everyday activities and games. I have teamed up with a Catholic girls’ school in Surrey to offer parents some advice on how they can support their child’s maths skills in an enjoyable and practical fashion.
Positive home environment
When it comes to your child’s education and when trying to teach them something new, it’s always important that you establish a positive home environment at all times. This helps them feel optimistic about their learning. You should use uplifting terminology and refrain from saying things like “I was terrible at maths when I was your age”. Comments like this can pass on a pessimistic attitude towards maths and impact your child’s performance.
Applying the skills
A crucial way to help your child learn maths is to help them understand how they can apply their skills to everyday situations. Lots of people say things like “I’m never going to use this in real life” when referring to skills learnt at school, which simply demotivates them. Show your child that this is the wrong way to think by demonstrating how regularly maths is used. This could involve money next time you go to the shop, playing board games like Monopoly or working out measurements when cooking. There are also lots of educational workbooks that offer maths questions so that your child can practise at home. However, this can feel a bit too much like learning in school. So, it might be better to source some online resources, as these are usually more engaging and fun to do at home.
If you require some additional support, don’t be afraid to contact your child’s teachers. They will be able to give you some more information about the curriculum and perhaps suggest some age appropriate methods for practising at home.
