Instill a Love of Math
Parents are bombarded with messages to read with their children, but
it’s rare to hear about the importance of doing math with them. Here are
some helpful tips on why and how to instill a love of math in your
children.
Early Math Matters
We may take for granted that our children will inevitably learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, but early math lessons establish the base for the rest of their thinking lives. “Mathematics that kids are doing in kindergarten, first, second and third grades lays the foundation for the work they are going to do beyond that,” says Linda Gojak, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
We may take for granted that our children will inevitably learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, but early math lessons establish the base for the rest of their thinking lives. “Mathematics that kids are doing in kindergarten, first, second and third grades lays the foundation for the work they are going to do beyond that,” says Linda Gojak, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
“They are learning beyond just counting and numbers.” That’s why
it’s so important to help children love math while they are still
young. Parents can build on those first preschool lessons by counting
with their children, asking them to look for patterns and recognize
shapes, then moving on to numbers, Gojak says.
The goal should be to make math “real” and meaningful by pointing it
out in the world around you. That could include checking and comparing
prices at the grocery store, driving down the street counting mailboxes,
reading recipes, calculating coupons, or even measuring food or drink
at the dinner table. Kevin Mahoney, math curriculum coordinator at
Pennacre Country Day School in Wellesley, Mass., says when his children
were little, his wife kept a small measuring tape in her pocketbook.
While they were waiting for their order at a restaurant, the children
would measure different items on the table.
Just as you encourage your early reader to look for familiar letters,
ask your child to watch for math, regarding math as highly as you do
reading. “Every parent knows that it’s a good idea to read to your child
every night, but they should also realize the importance of talking
about mathematical situations with children every day,” says Mahoney.
So What If It’s Hard?
What if you hated math as a child? Parents should try to set aside their distaste for math and encourage their children as much as possible. Young children are eager to learn. “It’s hard to learn to talk or walk. But they don’t care,” says Sue VanHattum, a community college math teacher in Richmond, Ca., who blogs about math learning on www.mathmamawrites.blogspot.com. “They just push themselves over their limits. They are going to come at math with that same attitude.”
What if you hated math as a child? Parents should try to set aside their distaste for math and encourage their children as much as possible. Young children are eager to learn. “It’s hard to learn to talk or walk. But they don’t care,” says Sue VanHattum, a community college math teacher in Richmond, Ca., who blogs about math learning on www.mathmamawrites.blogspot.com. “They just push themselves over their limits. They are going to come at math with that same attitude.”
Avoid talking negatively about math, even if you have no need for
trigonometry in your daily life. “A lot of people will only joke that
they cannot do math or announce publicly, ‘I’m not a math person.’ When a
parent does that in front of a child, it suggests that math’s not
important,” says Char Forsten, education consultant and writer, who
urges parents to create that desire to learn by constantly screening the
environment for math. “Have you seen any good math lately?” she likes
to ask students.
If your child believes that math doesn’t really matter, he’s not
going to be as open to learn. “Attitude has everything to do with
learning. You can’t make anyone learn. If a child has learned not to
love math, if they don’t love math, and aren’t willing to learn, you
have to deal with that first,” Forsten says.
If you are stuck on how to foster math enthusiasm, talk to your
child’s teacher about some ways to support math learning at home. There
may be a new game that you have never heard of, which both you and your
child will love.
Play Games
With so many facts and figures to memorize and apply to math problems, children learn early that math is something that requires work. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun; keep the pleasure in math by playing games with your children. Many games, even the ones adults play, rely on math. With countless websites, computer games and phone apps, parents have endless options, but don’t forget about the nondigital games you loved as a child. The classics that require manipulating cards and game pieces, calculating along the way, may have the same appeal for your kids as they did for you. One game worth considering is Chutes and Ladders. A 2009 study conducted by Carnegie Mellon and the University of Maryland found that preschoolers who played the game improved math skills significantly compared to those in the study who played a different board game or did nonmath tasks.
With so many facts and figures to memorize and apply to math problems, children learn early that math is something that requires work. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun; keep the pleasure in math by playing games with your children. Many games, even the ones adults play, rely on math. With countless websites, computer games and phone apps, parents have endless options, but don’t forget about the nondigital games you loved as a child. The classics that require manipulating cards and game pieces, calculating along the way, may have the same appeal for your kids as they did for you. One game worth considering is Chutes and Ladders. A 2009 study conducted by Carnegie Mellon and the University of Maryland found that preschoolers who played the game improved math skills significantly compared to those in the study who played a different board game or did nonmath tasks.
As you play with your kids, try to tap into your own love for math.
When you play Trivial Pursuit, you are using math to determine how many
spaces you need to get to the next wedge or predict which category you
can answer best. The game doesn’t have to be about math, but should
involve it. If you have a good game store in your area, stop by and ask
the salespeople for help. Some of VanHattum’s favorite games really push
logic, which is the basis of math, and get children thinking visually.
Check out Link, SET, Rush Hour, Blokus and Spot It, to name a few.
“Playing games is a great family activity,” VanHattum says. “The more
you have a tradition of playing games, the easier it is to bring in
other games you like.” So while you may not be passionate about your
child’s latest board game, you can work up to another game you like. Try
to make the game personal to your family by playing it in your own
special way. “Mathematicians make up their own rules,” VanHattum says.
“It’s really important to be open to making up your own games. Change
the rules. ‘In our family, we play the game this way.'”
Flexing Math Muscles
Riding a bike, swimming in the deep end, and playing an instrument are just examples of our favorite childhood activities that require practice to master. So does math.
Riding a bike, swimming in the deep end, and playing an instrument are just examples of our favorite childhood activities that require practice to master. So does math.
“Math is an intellectual muscle building; it’s crucial for fully
developing a child’s potential,” Mahoney says. “Those muscles can
atrophy. If school is the only place you do math, then it becomes
something you only do at school. Then you don’t even think about using
it in real life.” So brush off those negative feelings about math and
instill enthusiasm. Math will play a role in your child’s life forever.
“It’s important to remember that those basics are essential for later
learning. A lot of the stuff we learn in math we apply in different
ways later,” says Gojak, who emphasizes the thinking skills that math
provides. “I might not have to worry about what an isosceles triangle
is, but it’s still an important part of education.”
As they grow, kids will learn that they are willing to work hard at
something they love. It may just be math. Either way, remember that your
child does not have to excel at math to enjoy it. “It doesn’t matter if
they’re good, it matters whether they like it,” VanHattum says.
Add Math to Everyday Fun with these Activities:
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