Developing good maths skills will stand your child in good stead when they’re older, and it’s never too early to start teaching it. It can be a tricky subject for some children though, whilst others will take to it more easily. Your child will be taught a comprehensive mathematics curriculum at school, but there are things you can do to support their maths learning at home, as explained by this pre-prep school in London.
Use the home environment
You can teach your child maths through everyday activities such as cooking or shopping. When baking a cake, get them involved in measuring and weighing ingredients. Whilst out shopping, see if your child can add up items and explain the value of different coins and notes. When you’re out driving, talk about speed and distances. There are so many ways you can help develop your child’s maths skills through normal activities.
Lead by example
Often parents will try to empathise with a child who is struggling with maths by saying that they too found the subject challenging at school and didn’t enjoy it. However, it’s important to emphasise that, although you found (and may still find) maths hard, you kept trying and got better at it. The aim is to avoid children thinking that they’re either good or bad at certain subjects and there’s nothing they can do about it. Make sure you explain to your child that they can get better at maths by practising frequently and giving it a go. Ensure you model this behaviour by letting them see you struggling and then overcoming a mathematical challenge. Tell them that the effort they put into maths is the most important thing.
Play games
Many board games incorporate an element of maths, such as counting money or working out how many steps to take, so these are a great opportunity to teach maths whilst having some fun. If you’re building something with your child, talk to them about the different shapes you’re using, and ask them to count how many blocks there are in a tower you’ve made. Make use of technology to find maths games your child can play on their tablet, and there will be no shortage of educational TV programmes they can watch to teach them maths skills.
Sometimes it’s easier for children to understand the theory behind maths when it’s applied to everyday life, so take as many opportunities as possible to demonstrate to your child how maths applies to the real world. Seeing it in practice will help them understand and retain mathematical concepts.
