Helping your Child with Maths at Home

Many parents feel lost when their child asks for help learning maths, especially if the topic is too complex or they have not learned those concepts in school before. We need to understand that maths is not static as we might like it to be. Mathematics is evolving, so the human brain and the ways we teach maths will inevitably evolve.

Sometimes maths can be daunting, particular with learning at home during pandemic lockdowns, and this is completely understandable, but sometimes this mindset is more related to how teachers, peers, and parents talk about it than anything related to your brain.

Here are some tips on how we can help your kids with maths:

• Avoid saying you’re bad at maths. Try to always stay positive.

Staying positive and avoid passing math anxiety to your child is essential, especially in boosting his confidence. As a parent, you should focus on difficulty and effort and say something like, “I understand how difficult this subject is for you, I had problems with it too. You may not understand it yet, but I am sure that we can work it out together.” Encouraging your child to do their best in solving or completing their assignment will give them confidence, especially if they know that you will be there for them.

• Talk about maths

Talking about maths doesn’t mean that you need to make some statistical analysis or debate on some far-out equation. Instead, you bring maths to your conversation, even as simple as counting clouds or guessing heights. This is crucial, especially for young kids who need to feel comfortable with mathematics because they need to understand that this subject is part of their world.

So, depending on your child’s age, you may need to incorporate maths into any topic you are talking about. You also ask your child questions like:

•  How many is that?
• How could you split this equally?
• What is the chance of that happening?
• How many cards will I draw?

 

• Have your child teach you maths

Another great way of encouraging your child to learn mathematics is to let them teach it. In fact, if they explain maths concepts, even if it is that simple, they are forced to consolidate knowledge, and they will try new ways of explaining it.

In addition, if they are faced with a question that they can’t answer, they will try their best to research more on that topic so they can explain it to you better. Letting them teach maths in their own way may spark insights and may even develop their mindset and study habits.

Overall, you can help your child learn maths better by encouraging them and giving them a chance to change their mindset over the subject. As a result, they will be more confident in tackling difficult maths problems in the long run since they no longer dread the subject.