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
no-contract cleaning service Mundelein ..The older my daughter gets the more it's sinking in... Read More
Be sure to respect the intellectual changes that mark adolescence.... Read More
Why do some children still do best after divorce and... Read More
Are you being smart about water conservation? Do you consider... Read More
Many families today are blending members from past relationships. It... Read More
Our children are growing up bilingual in the French part... Read More
When it's time to put your child into a daycare... Read More
There has been much attention in the media of late... Read More
Reading to your child at a young age is one... Read More
Baby names are as diverse as the people to whom... Read More
Recently, a much-anticipated game of mini-golf with my children soon... Read More
Children think money grows on trees. Maybe not literally, but... Read More
Frankly, as a single parent of young children, I struggled.... Read More
I wanted to share with you one of the most... Read More
Minus all meningitis thoughts. The flu symptons were strong. Headache,... Read More
Teri was 5. As younger siblings do, she looked up... Read More
How do we deal with our seriously distressed children and... Read More
This may come as a surprise, but many parents are... Read More
If you had to spend 4 or 5 hours in... Read More
A friend phoned her neighbor, complaining about the wafts of... Read More
Night Visits From Your ChildIn the middle of the night... Read More
As the flurry of Back to School activities subside, parents... Read More
1. Encourage Questions.Don't answer every question, instead ask what do... Read More
"Just turn the lights off and go to sleep"Do you... Read More
"Setting the alarm on Sunday mornings is inhuman?..God should know... Read More
maid service near Glenview ..You have a chore to do around the house, and... Read More
Saying no to our children is not always easy or... Read More
Your child's first year of school should be a fun... Read More
My husband and I have a 12-year-old daughter who wanted... Read More
A while ago I received this story from David in... Read More
Because most teens have not had the experience of getting... Read More
Ritalin is a good medication with a bad reputation. Its... Read More
Do you feel like someone has abducted your sweet, innocent... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
In school, kids are encouraged to create, draw, color, paint... Read More
Raising a pre-teen or teenage daughter (or son) is not... Read More
Sara loves pampering. Haircuts, facials, manicures, and makeup bring smiles,... Read More
An address given by Rev. David B. Smith... Read More
Bullies are an ugly but very real part of childhood.... Read More
Nanny 911 Interview with Montel WilliamsI saw an interview with... Read More
A common problem many times facing parents is Colic. Estimates... Read More
Identity and Your Fraternal TwinFor the most part, throughout this... Read More
In 1996-97 we were contracted by VAXA International of Tampa,... Read More
You need to smart to be able influence adolescents. You... Read More
The 21st Century Problem in Schools: Bullying, and How to... Read More
Imagine yourself lying flat on your back, totally strapped down... Read More
Libraries offer more than books. They are places of learning... Read More
Do you remember how you first learned the alphabet? I... Read More
The initial state of happiness about an own child is... Read More
Is there a way to build a robot to help... Read More
Parenting |