Have you ever heard your children complain, “Math is so hard!”, “Math is boring!” and wondered how you can get them to like the subject? A major reason why children hate math is that they believe they aren’t good at it. Some kids find it dull and irrelevant to deal with concepts and formulas. When children are comfortable with numbers, they not only perform better at school but also receive a lot of opportunities in the future. Doing the math, in all seriousness, can still be a fun and creative activity. So here you go parents, a few tips you can ‘count’ on to teach math to your child –
1. Count everything
Right from the time your child is an infant, say aloud the numbers whenever you are counting something – his tiny fingers and toes, the number of apples you buy from the supermarket, the number of white cars you see on the road and so on. Math becomes easy to teach when you have physical objects before you to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
2. Play math games
There are many games available to aid you to teach your child math. The game snake and ladder introduces numbers from 1 to 100. ‘Simone says Geometry’ can make your child illustrate geometrical terms like acute angle, obtuse angle, right angle etc.
using only their arms. The game ‘Monopoly’ or guessing the weight of fruits and vegetables are helpful in teaching advanced mathematics.
3. Invest in an abacus
A standard abacus can do basic mathematical functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and find square roots and cubic roots. Children love sliding beads on the wire with one finger while developing problem-solving skills in the process. In addition to speeding up calculation skills, the abacus also kindles creative thinking and the ability to use the left and right side of the brain.
4. Bake cookies
Soft cookies make excellent evening snacks. But the cookie dough makes even better teaching aids. Ask your child to cut a cookie into halves, fourths and eighths using a plastic knife. Visual representation of fractions creates an impression in the child’s mind. Now use the same cookie pieces to teach addition and subtraction of fractions. When you are finished learning math, you can use the remaining dough to make tasty cookies for them.
5. Everyday quiz
Incorporate math into your daily routine to make your child realize the relevance of numbers. Ask them questions like, “If we ate the only ¼ of the total bananas, how much is left?”, “If one pencil costs Rs.2, how much money do you need to buy 5 pencils?” “How many clothes are you putting in the washing machine?” etc.
Enjoy teaching!
Sometimes it is the parent’s or teacher’s attitude towards mathematics that is reflected in the child’s dislike or indifference. Teach them the benefits of maths. Have enthusiasm while teaching them because once children enjoy learning, there is no stopping them. The mission of Winmore Academy, one of the top CBSE schools in Bangalore is to promote cross-curricular thinking and the holistic development of students. The study of maths beyond the classroom allows students to see maths as an integral part of their lives. To this end, Winmore Schools have fully functional Maths Labs, where learning is activity-centered and a child is placed in the problem-solving situation through self-exploration and discovery. The focus is on giving students the right guidance to help them succeed in the subject through various collaborative activities and technology. There is always a ‘solution’ to every ‘problem’ and that is the beauty of mathematics.