Math is one of those school subjects that you either understand easily or you struggle with. For adults who don’t do well with math, it can be embarrassing and even stressful at times. For a child who doesn’t understand math, it can be so much more. Having trouble in school can lead to self-esteem issues, lower grades, and more. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to help your child with math if they’re having trouble. Once your child learns the math skills they’re having an issue with, they will be set for life. We strive for good grades all the time.
Ways to Help Your Child with Math
Cement the basics – If your kids don’t know the basics of math, they will have a much harder time later when it can become truly complicated. Calculations such as basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are what the later math programs are all based on. Make sure that they know these basics inside out before moving on.
Review when needed – No matter what age or grade your child is, if they need a review, give them one. Even older kids can benefit from a review now and then. Whether you review with flashcards, games, or something different, a review can make the difference between a child who truly understands math and one who struggles.
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Take them to the store with you – If your kids are having issues with money, addition, or subtraction, take them to the store with you! They can learn about addition, money, weights, and more! If you don’t want to take them to the store with you, buying a pretend cash register and play money to play store at home can be another great idea!
Add math to daily life – Contrary to what you may have thought growing up, math really is a part of daily adult life and because of that, you should include math in the lives of your children every day. If you’re putting a movie in, have little ones count the seconds until it starts. If you’re putting groceries away, have them add or multiply the number of items you have. Older kids can figure grocery savings and pizza night can teach about fractions.
Teach them to cook – Cooking is all about getting the math correct so naturally, it is a fantastic way to teach fractions. Give your kids a recipe and set of measuring cups and have them measure out the correct ingredients. You can also teach multiplying fractions with recipes as well.
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Start a garden – Did you realize that gardening will help teach your kids math? It can! You can use planting to count seeds or measure distance and more! This is one that most children love to do too so there’s no fighting to get them to learn! They learn without realizing it! Give it a try with a container garden.
Play cards – Card games are another great way to help your kids learn math. From “Go Fish” to War and even Rummy, they will help cement numbers in your kid’s minds so that they come to them easier.
Do a craft or DIY together – Are your kids having trouble with measurements? If so, pick out a quick DIY for them to help with! Most involve some form of measurement which will help teach them without making it seem as if they’re learning.
Open a savings account – Have an older child who needs to brush up on their money skills? Open a savings account for them! Not only will it help teach them money basics, but they can also learn about more advanced math subjects such as interest.
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Include them in budget meetings – Along the same lines as opening your kids a savings account, including them in the family budget meeting is also a great way to teach them. Not only will it help them understand math, but it will also help teach them the value of a dollar.
Get Help – Finally, using an app or website to help teach your kids math is always a great idea. Wonderland Math is an amazing website that is designed to help kids ages 4-14 learn math. In Wonderland, learning is fun, collaborative, and purposeful, and obstacles and stumbles are seen as opportunities for growth and improvement.
Wonderland Math is an interactive learning activity that combines live tutoring with an engaging, story-based curriculum. Wonderland Math is made for 2nd – 5th graders. Parents can track their child's progress and get weekly video updates from our exceptional teachers. Parents love watching their children discover the joy of math while gaining confidence.
What you can expect from Wonderland Math:
- Live and Instructor-led
- Story-based curriculum
- Common Core-aligned curriculum
- Engaging Math Games
- Application of Growth Mindset Principles and learning
- 25 Bonus Gems for students to trade in for real-life prizes
Give their trial period a try for just $1 and see how awesome it is for yourself!
How do you help your child with math? Let me know in the comments.