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
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare'Picky Eater' is a label coined to describe the phenomenon... Read More
Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of... Read More
Despite the theory that people have kids because they want... Read More
Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning "Who is... Read More
Q. My daughter is a junior in high school and... Read More
All responsible parents would want to support their children, find... Read More
Parents play a critical role in their child's success. These... Read More
What is a parenting problem?Parenting is a tough job, we... Read More
Memorabilia ? Children can create enough artwork for an entire... Read More
Frankly, as a single parent of young children, I struggled.... Read More
1. You reheated the same cup of coffee three times... Read More
Let's be honest! When it comes to parenting, men expect... Read More
As Mother's Day approaches I would like to give a... Read More
Did you know that the number of twin births have... Read More
Our children are growing up bilingual in the French part... Read More
What is Happening in the brain of children, teens, and... Read More
For many adults, reading a book or newspaper seems effortless.... Read More
Why Is Spending Time with Your Child So Important?For children... Read More
As a parent, are you at your wits end? Does... Read More
Each child carries a unique picture of the self, shaped... Read More
Children think money grows on trees. Maybe not literally, but... Read More
As a mother of two sets of fraternal boy/girl twins,... Read More
In the first premise, some films and video tapes which... Read More
Fall marks the beginning of many new things both for... Read More
You know that children can get into trouble. The older... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Incest is sexual activity, ranging from fondling to intercourse, between... Read More
Early childhood educators have called play "children's work". Many parents... Read More
I look out of the window as I am writing... Read More
Most of our Founding Fathers, including Ben Franklin, Sam Adams,... Read More
This is the third and final article in a series... Read More
Many parents struggle to know which foods are healthy for... Read More
Are you a parent concerned about passing values on to... Read More
There are two methods for teaching children to read; whole... Read More
Despite the potentially dangerous side-effects of Ritalin, public school authorities... Read More
In stepfamilies, big holiday expectations can lead to big disappointment--and... Read More
"What age should my child start school?"This is a common... Read More
We were all teens at one time for some many... Read More
You have just received a call from your child's teacher... Read More
What you say and do about money has a profound... Read More
The law of -ing.The law of -ing refers to a... Read More
Why Is Spending Time with Your Child So Important?For children... Read More
Last night Tom's daughter, Sue, came out of her room... Read More
The back-to-school shopping is done. Brand new pencils, colored markers,... Read More
Along with eating healthier we need to be more active.... Read More
Homework. It doesn't have to be a daily battle of... Read More
I know this Mom. She homeschools her 5 children, plus... Read More
Teaching kids to deal with conflict effectively and peacefully is... Read More
1. The Law of the BeastAs parents we need to... Read More
Anyone can splurge on a formal dinner or a pricey... Read More
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived... Read More
Parenting |