Mathematics has always been considered as a challenging subject by students of all ages. The subject requires focus, concentration, and problem-solving skills, which can sometimes be a struggle for kids.
The Ultimate Guide to Mathematics Help for Kids
However, there are plenty of ways to make math fun and engaging for young learners. In this blog post, we will provide a comprehensive guide to mathematics help for kids, which will help them build strong foundational skills and excel in the subject.
- Encourage Active Learning: One of the most effective ways of helping a child with math is by encouraging them to engage in active learning. Active learning involves hands-on activities such as using manipulatives, playing math games, and solving puzzles. These types of activities help to develop problem-solving skills, increase concentration, and ultimately increase their understanding of mathematical concepts. Young learners who are engaged in active learning are more likely to be motivated and enthusiastic about the subject.
- Use Real-Life Examples: Math is not just limited to numbers and equations, it is present in our daily lives too! Parents and teachers can use real-life examples to explain mathematical concepts to kids. For example, when grocery shopping with kids, talk about how quantities and prices are calculated, or when baking with kids, explain how measurements are used. Such activities will help kids understand the practical applications of mathematics and make the subject more relatable.
- Tailor the Learning to Their Needs: Not all children learn in the same way. While some may excel through visualization, others may learn best through repetition. Being aware of the child’s learning style can help parents and teachers tailor the learning experience to their needs. For example, if a child is a visual learner, then using diagrams, charts, and graphs can be more effective in explaining mathematical concepts.
- Practice, Practice, Practice: Math requires practice to strengthen the understanding of topics. Encourage kids to practice math problems regularly, even if they don’t have homework. Students who practice frequently tend to become more confident in their skills and are better prepared for tests. Additionally, practice also helps children remember math concepts more accurately.
- Seek Outside Help: If a child is struggling with mathematical concepts despite their best efforts, then seeking outside help can be beneficial. Tutoring services or online resources such as Khan Academy can be invaluable for kids who need additional support. Seeking help from friends or family members who excel in math can also be an option.
Helping kids with math can be a rewarding experience for both the child and the adult. If a child struggles to understand math, it can stem from a lack of understanding or fear of the subject. However, with the right tools and practices, math can be fun and engaging for young learners. Encouraging active learning, using real-life examples, tailoring to their needs, practicing regularly, and seeking outside help are all ways that parents and teachers can help to make mathematics less intimidating for children.
Mathematics Help For Kids
Many kids find math challenging. They may feel discouraged and lose confidence. This can negatively impact their learning and cause them to shy away from other subjects.
Help your children learn to love math by making it part of everyday life. Talk about numbers and counting at home, when you’re out and about, and through family activities such as cooking or shopping.
1. Develops a Growth Mindset
A growth mindset, a belief that one’s intelligence can be improved with hard work and practice, is a crucial component for learning math. Research has shown that people with a growth mindset are more persistent when they face challenges, and they also perform better than those who have a fixed mindset.
Parents can help develop a growth mindset by encouraging kids to take risks and persevere when solving problems. They can also encourage the use of strategies and praise children for their efforts, not just their final answer.
Parents can also encourage a growth mindset by using real-world situations to teach children about counting, measuring and fractions. For example, shopping with younger children allows for a great opportunity to talk about “one more than” or “one less than.” Playing games like board games, card games and puzzles can be a wonderful way to teach kids about numbers, too.
2. Encourages Creativity
Math can feel like a very linear, logical subject that requires strict memorization of facts. But it’s also a very creative subject that encourages kids to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions to problems.
Math is one of the few subjects that really benefits from analogical thinking — which is comparing an unknown situation to something you already know. Parents can help kids develop this skill by asking questions like, “What would you do if you needed to figure out how long it will take to walk from the house to the park?”
Children can be encouraged to use creativity in math in many ways. For example, they can draw and sketch during note-taking (and even on tests), which is proven to stimulate the brain by communicating across the corpus callosum — the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres.
3. Helps Develop Spatial Awareness
Math is a way of seeing the world, a discipline that is used to explain nature and describe our universe. It is a tool that is as necessary as language and can be found everywhere in our everyday lives, from the time we tell with clocks to the way we play sports or go shopping.
Children can learn about spatial awareness through building towers, using shape-puzzles and small world toys, and by listening to the use of spatial words like ‘above’ ‘below’ ‘inside’ ‘outside’ and ‘besides’. Children also develop spatial awareness through physical activities like climbing and playing a sport.
Developing spatial awareness allows kids to look at unfamiliar problems and figure out how to solve them. It is the same process mathematicians use when they find solutions to problems. They need to have patience with their work and see incorrect attempts as stepping stones to success.
4. Helps Develop Problem-Solving Skills
Math is a subject that requires kids to be proficient in foundational skills before moving on to more advanced ones. If a child has trouble grasping a concept, they may become frustrated and discouraged. They might also lose confidence in their abilities and avoid trying to solve problems.
Children who develop a love for math will be resilient and persistent in the face of challenges. This skill will help them in all aspects of life, including making sense of the world around them.
Parents can help their children with this by encouraging them to take on difficult tasks, even if they don’t know how to do them well. They should also praise the effort and persistence rather than the outcome of a task. By encouraging problem-solving skills, parents can make math more enticing for kids. This will build their independence, encourage their creativity and allow them to use their strengths to tackle problems.
5. Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Many kids who struggle with math are afraid to make a mistake, which can lead them to believe that they’re not good at the subject. However, it’s important to teach children that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and that they shouldn’t be discouraged if they don’t get something right the first time.
Teaching kids how to think critically about math can help them develop a strong foundation for future mathematical success. Students can practise this skill through tasks that ask them to analyse a problem, notice patterns or common properties in multiple cases and communicate their findings.
Try asking your children open-ended questions that don’t have a right or wrong answer, like “How do you know that?” or “What is one way that you can use this rule?”. This will encourage them to think critically and develop logical arguments.
6. Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Developing critical thinking skills is a big goal of math education. The ability to recognise and articulate reasoning can help kids develop problem-solving, strategising and planning skills that can carry over into other subjects.
Children who struggle with a subject like math can often feel like they are not smart. Providing your child with ways to build their confidence can help ease any anxiety around the subject and encourage them to keep trying.
For example, asking your child open-ended questions that don’t have right or wrong answers can help them understand that a math problem is more than just memorizing facts or following formulas. They need to think critically and consider different options, like comparing and contrasting or analysing and generalising. This can be challenging for some students but provides an opportunity to build skills through a game-based lens.
7. Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Students develop critical thinking skills through math activities. This involves analysing the problem, noticing patterns or relationships (such as ordering, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and correspondences), and communicating those findings.
In addition, students develop logical argument. This includes testing conjectures, proving or disproving them with evidence, and using examples to convince others of their argument.
When kids struggle with math, they may feel bad about themselves. However, they can take heart in knowing that everyone struggles at times — even the most intelligent people. They can also find encouragement by recognizing that certain professions — like carpentry, landscaping, medicine, or aeronautics – require a strong foundation in math. This can inspire them to continue learning and improve their performance. Moreover, it can help them understand that they have strengths too. It just takes time to identify them.
8. Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Parents can help their kids develop critical thinking skills by encouraging them to explore all sides of a problem and consider both the short and long term consequences. It’s also important to help them understand that math isn’t a black or white subject; instead, it requires more thought and strategic thinking than just memorization of facts.
Some children experience math anxiety, which can lead to losing focus and forgetting facts. Parents can help alleviate this anxiety by fostering a love of the subject and teaching them to spend time thinking about the problems they are working on. The math knowledge base from the online math school Brighterly is a great way to help with this, and more information is available on their website.
Playing games with children also helps them develop their thinking and reasoning skills, especially if the questions are open-ended. Games like board games, card games and even online games like Prodigy Math help children to learn the concepts of order, patterning, number sense and spatial awareness.
9. Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Most children are used to being taught a specific formula and steps they need to take in order to solve a math problem. When they get a problem that doesn’t fit the mold or seems unfamiliar, it can be hard for kids to think about how to approach it and often times they get stuck.
This is where critical thinking comes in. It’s a skill that allows students to test conjectures, make evidence-based claims, and communicate their understanding of complex mathematical concepts. Challenging prompts such as “Why does your rule work?” or “How do you know it’s true?” encourage this type of creative thinking.
Parents can help foster this learning by making math more fun at home. Try using games like logic puzzles, flashcards or a fun app to teach your child. You can even incorporate everyday activities like shopping with your kid, comparing prices or measuring ingredients when cooking to introduce them to these concepts.
10. Helps Develop Critical Thinking Skills
A key part of math is figuring out how to solve problems. This involves analysing the problem, noticing patterns and properties, and communicating their understanding (generalising).
Encourage your child to consider all of the factors involved in a decision-making process. Help them weigh different options and choose a solution that makes the most sense. This is a great way to develop their critical thinking skills.
Struggling with math doesn’t necessarily mean your child is bad at it. It just means that they need to work harder at it to understand it more fully. Show them that you’re working on your own struggles too, and they’ll be encouraged to keep trying. This will also help to reduce their fear of math and build confidence. Ultimately, developing strong math skills helps prepare kids for many vocations, including carpentry, landscaping, medicine, pharmacy, aeronautics, and meteorology.