Love it or hate it, math is an important subject and plays a crucial role in our lives. Childhood is the best phase to mold a young mind. According to a study published in Educational Researcher, growth in mathematical ability between age 54 months and first grade is an even stronger predictor of adolescent mathematics achievement. Here are six ways you can make math fun for your kids.
Use Humor
Share some funny math jokes with kids and they’ll find themselves laughing while learning. Here’s a joke from Ducksters Education Site to start with:
Question: Teacher: Why are you doing your
multiplication on the floor?
Answer: Student: You told me not to use
tables.
Gift a Piggy Bank
A piggy bank can be used to teach math and financial literacy concepts, like saving, budgeting and investing, all at once. Give kids a few coins every day. At the end of each month, ask them to add the coins and give you a total.
Use a Real Life (Or a Web/App) Game
Laura Overdeck, founder of Bedtime Math, feels math engages kids when it’s playful, tangible, low-pressure and relevant to real life. “Using real objects to illustrate counting, adding, comparison of sizes, and spatial concepts like left-right and rotation enables kids of different learning styles to grasp ideas,” she tells Parentology. “Turning this into a game makes it playful and appealing — counting with chocolate chips or stuffed animals is a lot more enticing than counting pencils.”
Overdeck advises, “Make the exercise a journey to the right answer, as opposed to judging quick answers as right or wrong, brings about a growth mindset in kids,” she says. Websites to check out as resources for games, songs and videos: Coolmath, Education.com and Mathstory.
Don’t Scare Them
Parents are the first role models for every child. If they get the vibe their mother or father found math a tricky and difficult subject, they’re likely to follow suit and believe math is a really tough subject to master.
Encourage Inquisitiveness
According to a study published in the journal Pediatric Research, curiosity is an important, yet under-recognized, contributor to academic achievement. With the internet at your fingertips, try to find answers to your kid’s questions. Watch videos, go to the library or discuss with a teacher. Keeping curiosity intact sparks inner creativity.
Cook Together
The next time you bake their favorite black forest cake or make pizza, ask them to help in measuring and mixing the ingredients. The concept of fractions, like a two-thirds cup of sugar, can make them understand quantities and fractions in an easy, practical way.
Sources:
Laura Overdeck of Bedtime Math
Sage Journals /Educational Researcher
Ducksters Education Site
CoolMath
Education.com
Mathstory.com
Pediatric Research article