5 Ways To Make Teaching Your Child Math Easier

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Parental involvement in mathematics may be more critical than you think. Nowadays, parents should be proactive for many reasons. New trends in mathematics education frequently reduce concentration on rigorous achievement. They may emphasize calculators and downplay manual computation, or be so strongly inclined toward discovery learning that they are devoid of clear explanations and worked-out examples. Early learning toys can help, but there is more you can do than rely only on toys for education. Here are some steps you can take to get involved in your child’s math education:

1. Set the following expectation for your child: Do only what makes sense to you. Too often, children see math as a collection of steps and tricks they must learn. Help them understand that they must always try to make sense of what they do in math. Always encourage them to explain the purpose of what they’re doing, the logic of their procedures, and the reasonableness of their solutions.

2. Identify what your child should know and be able to do. Children who are ready for algebra by eighth grade are much more likely to succeed later on than those who are not, and these children are doing about as well as students in the most successful countries. The clearest and most explicit mathematics standards were recently adopted in California.

3. Your home is full of opportunities to explore math with your child and, at the same time, build his or her self-confidence and understanding of mathematical ideas. You can use the measuring cups in your kitchen to teach fractions, or you can cut out grocery store coupons and have your child figure out how much money you’re saving.

4. Teaching your child to do math the way you learnt it as a kid could confuse her, but don’t back off completely. To help without teaching, show sympathy. Say things like “that looks tough,” and “I know it’s hard,” when your child is frustrated. Ask questions such as “what is the problem asking you to do?” If they hit a roadblock, offer an alternative activity for awhile, like an educational science toy, then get back to it.

5. Studies have shown a positive effect between early musical training and brain development. It has been suggested that musical training can have a positive effect on a child’s academic achievement, especially in the area of mathematics.

Article by: Adam O’Connor, Unique Educational Toy

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