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
cleaning team near Winnetka ..Self-reliance and potential are two very important values that I'd... Read More
Quite simply, an absolute nightmare for parents and babies alike,... Read More
Not so long ago a dad-to-be would pace up and... Read More
Do you have a wild child? Then this article may... Read More
Q. What is the best way to teach safety awareness... Read More
IntroductionChildren are the gifts of God to parents. That young... Read More
Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose... Read More
Do you live with an ADD / ADHD child? If... Read More
When you're a parent it's a difficult decision to know... Read More
If you visit search engines you can find several resources... Read More
Parents play a critical role in their child's success. These... Read More
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD.... Read More
"Walk through any toy store and you will see walls... Read More
Many families, ours included, have learned that breakfast is eaten... Read More
It's among the top criticism wives have of their husbands:... Read More
Do you really want your child to enjoy playing with... Read More
Suppose that you rearrange your life to homeschool your child... Read More
Chiladult? Whatever you call them, teenagers are a changin' and... Read More
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
I hear from many parents that their child is stressed... Read More
1. New Word of the DayIntroduce your preschooler to a... Read More
It happens every year. Just when you are settled in... Read More
My wife and I have been working on a video... Read More
If you're looking for toys that are both fun to... Read More
family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..Giving with a happy heart. If you teach a child... Read More
Most of us can agree that there is a lack... Read More
It can be difficult on all family members to have... Read More
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes around the brain... Read More
Now is an excellent time to have your child's vision... Read More
You're trying to catch up on some sleep on a... Read More
I wanted to share with you one of the most... Read More
Home, home on the range, Where never is heard A... Read More
Are men to blame for the divorce problem in this... Read More
One reason public schools get away with educational failure, year... Read More
Night Visits From Your ChildIn the middle of the night... Read More
Many working families choose a commercial or individual day care... Read More
The cruel callous remarks made by our offspring can sometimes... Read More
Giving advice to a teenager is very easy; getting a... Read More
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With... Read More
Teenagers are a work-in-progress, and parenting teenagers can be tricky... Read More
Today the little red school house is not what it... Read More
Does music need to be "dumbed-down" for kids? The answer... Read More
In seminars I am often asked about pocket-money and whether... Read More
I hear from many parents that their child is stressed... Read More
The snow was getting heavier with each lift of the... Read More
According to a September 2004 study by the RAND Corporation,... Read More
Below is a copy of our eating program for Attention... Read More
Q. We are getting to the stage with our kids... Read More
AD/HD (attention deficit disorder) is one of the most common... Read More
Parenting |