Ways to Help Your Child Do Well in Math

All of us who have children in school want them to do their very best. We want them to understand and apply the concepts of math and be competent mathematicians. How can parents help? Below are come suggestions that can be carried out at home.

A. Help your child master the basic facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Your child is learning the foundation of these facts in school but it is absolutely necessary that the basic facts be memorized. Practice needs to take place at home.

Strategies for learning facts:

1. Work on one set of facts at a time using flash cards. Add another set once the first set is memorized. Continue in this fashion until all the facts are learned.

2. Play “Double Compare”

Using a deck of playing cards, each player turn up 2 cards. Either add or multiply the 2 cards depending on the skill being practiced. The player with the higher sum/product wins both sets of cards.

3. Get a recording of math facts on tape and play it

4. Play games that require the use of facts

5. Visit math web sites that drill facts

B. Work on writing numbers clearly.

25% of the errors made in solving problems can be traced to sloppy number writing.

C. Explain how to solve word problems.

Mathematicians have an expression “To learn to solve problems, you must solve problems”.

Teach your child to read a problem several times. Also have them draw a picture or diagram to describe it. Make it easier for them to understand the steps in a problem by teaching them to substitute smaller numbers for larger ones.

D. Help your child learn the vocabulary of math.

They will never get a real feeling for math nor learn more advanced concepts without an understanding of its vocabulary. Check that your child can define new terms. If not, have them use models and simple problems to show how the term is used.

E. Teach them to do math in their head.

One of the major ways to solve problems is by using mental math. Kids should use this method frequently instead of using paper and pencil or a calculator. When helping your child with a problem help them determine when it would be appropriate to use mental math.

Can they count on from one number to the next to come to a sum?

( Ex. 47 + 35 = ? Think 47 if I add 30 more I get 77 then count on by ones five more for a total of 82. Or think 47 plus 40 is 87 then count down five (because you added 5 too much and get 82.)

Can they break apart a number so that they can more easily multiply it?

(Ex. 52 x 7 = ? Think 50 x 7 plus 2 x 7)

F. Make math part of your child’s daily life

Mathematics will become more meaningful when your child sees how important it is in so many real-life situations. Encourage them to use math in practical ways. For example, ask them to space new plants a certain distance apart in the garden, double a recipe, figure the tip, or pay bills in stores.

(Information for this article was taken from “Top Ten Ways to Help Your Kids Do Well in Math by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S and Marge Eberts, Ed.S found at familyeducation.com)

Note: Grade level math vocabulary is posted on the Hartland website. (hartland.k12.mi.us)

Website for practicing facts – www.resourceroom.net

Other math websites of interest:

Captain Zoom’s Math Adventure www.af.mil/aflinkjr/gameroom/zoommath

Good general website - www.funbrain.com