Uh oh.
Your kids arrive home with their school reports and it's poor marks from the math department. Now what do you do?
You may not be a math teacher, but thankfully there are ways you can help your kids improve their grades.
Studies have shown that children are much more likely to perform well in a subject that interests them.
So here are 5 ways to get your kids excited about math and actually looking forward to the next math class:
1. Inspire them.
Some kids don't enjoy math because they just can't see the point of it. Unlike reading or painting, all those mathematical symbols and numbers don't seem to mean anything.
What you need to do is show them how important math is in the real world.
Tell them stories about the great engineering feats throughout history. From building the great pyramids of Egypt, to the Hoover dam, to the latest space missions to Mars, nothing would have been achieved without mathematics, and mathematicians.
2. Get practical.
Involve your kids in some real world math away from the classroom. Find something your child is interested in and relate it to math in some way.
For example, do they like baseball? Terrific. During a game, ask them how many points the losing team has to score to beat the other one. And how many games do they need to win before they have enough points to win the league?
If they enjoy helping around the home then let them do the "clever stuff". Ask them to work out the sizes for that wood you're going to cut. Or get them to measure out the ingredients for the cake you're about to bake.
When you're in a store, ask your kids to add up the prices and keep a running total while you shop. Then ask them how much change you should expect at the checkout.
3. Take life "step-by-step".
Success in math - as in life - is largely about breaking large projects down into manageable, bite-sized pieces.
Many kids feel overwhelmed when they see a list of math questions, and it's at this point they may decide that math is "boring" or "hard".
Show them the magic of taking one question at a time, and breaking it into tiny steps that make it easy.
4. Encourage creativity.
Kids may become mentally "stuck" on a topic because they're only looking at it in one way. Perhaps they need to step outside the box and see it from a different angle.
Show them the beauty of alternative viewpoints. Help them to see situations from other people's perspective.
Get them into the habit of exploring different ways of solving a problem. Even something simple like tidying up a room can have several possible "solutions" or ways of approaching it.
Crosswords and lateral thinking puzzles are good for this kind of flexible thinking.
5. Be positive.
Eliminate negative statements like "math is hard" (even if you thought of yourself as a math dunce at school!).
Explain how everyone has a natural ability to do math and that solving math problems isn't so different from solving other kinds of problems in life.
Above all, inspire confidence in your kids. Teach them persistence and how there's always a solution to every problem.
We all perform better when we enjoy what we do, and getting kids interested in math is the real key to success.
They may not turn into mathematical geniuses, but they'll thank you in later life when they enter the world of work and start counting their salaries.
Now who said your kids couldn't do math?
'Fun With Figures' shows anyone of any ability the easy way to do mental math. Visit the site today and find out what you didn't learn in the math class. Click here ===> http://funwithfigures.com
It was the homework that did it. Each night became... Read More
Age 1: Invite only family members and close friends only... Read More
Loving your step-child can be both simple and hard. It... Read More
Well first off, please to don't institute the ? hour... Read More
As a parent there are lots of things that you... Read More
Drivers 16 years of age have little driving experience, putting... Read More
Imagine yourself lying flat on your back, totally strapped down... Read More
Giving with a happy heart. If you teach a child... Read More
Working with adults (as well as children and teens) for... Read More
The Theme from MASHI flipped the button on the remote... Read More
"Hugging is healthy: it helps the body's immunity system, it... Read More
At first I thought of titling this article "The Lazy... Read More
Predicament:My son is 4 1/2 years old. His younger brother... Read More
(Isaiah 11:6 KJV) The wolf also shall dwell with the... Read More
Not Letting Them Think.We all implicitly know that anything questioning... Read More
John was a 43 year-old sales manager at a large... Read More
We are all familiar with the stories that most students... Read More
1. New Word of the DayIntroduce your preschooler to a... Read More
Teaching kids to deal with conflict effectively and peacefully is... Read More
Annie easily slipped into becoming the sole caregiver of her... Read More
You know that children can get into trouble. The older... Read More
``Mom, can I go to the mall with my friend... Read More
1. The Law of the BeastAs parents we need to... Read More
Information is gold when you are adopted. Every tiny piece... Read More
Angie was brought up by rigid, authoritarian parents who kept... Read More
Remember when cash was a tangible commodity in all of... Read More
Finding out that a child has been born with a... Read More
O.K. So now you have taken the step of having... Read More
"Get down from the table top right now! What are... Read More
Life is full of competition -- even in childhood. Kids... Read More
Most people with children want to be good parents. The... Read More
Traditionally, babies have been named at a christening/baptism.... Read More
It was at that time when our marriage was falling... Read More
Child Safety Restraints and children in work vehiclesIf you take... Read More
There's a new trend for party entertainment. It seems as... Read More
Are you glad for the chance to put your child... Read More
Q. With another school year starting, we are not sure... Read More
Our back-to-school buying habits do not help kids succeed in... Read More
Family decision-making is an intriguing phenomenon. Many factors become part... Read More
One of the most difficult parts of being a father... Read More
They Spur Members To Grow EmotionallyTatiana Tannenbaum grappled with a... Read More
Spare the rod, spoil the child!This philosophy's been around a... Read More
This is one of the most common questions asked of... Read More
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes around the brain... Read More
Last week in my newsletter, I mentioned that... Read More
I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out... Read More
Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to... Read More
Children are moral and make moral determinations... at least until... Read More
Self-reliance and potential are two very important values that I'd... Read More
Should a parent give a child a tangible reward when... Read More
Parenting |