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 Parentown Kidshape
Parents Can Help Children Become Comfortable with Math
Many adults don't like math. We dread it, we think we don't "get it" and we avoid helping our children learn math. However, math is something we need to embrace, not avoid, if we want our children to become comfortable with math. By linking math to real-life activities, parents can help their children practice math skills and demonstrate its real-life relevance.
Como Molina, a program associate with SEDL's Texas Comprehensive Center and former high school math teacher says, "We parents need to see math as not only the underlying discipline for all science and technology, but also as a decision-making tool needed for personal finance and everyday life. We need to help our kids realize its importance, become proficient at it and believe that mastery of mathematics is possible for everyone, not just a privileged few."
Molina says there are easy ways parents can help.
Make positive comments about math. For every parent who says math is difficult, there is a child who believes it.
Help children see that the process of solving a problem can be more important than the answer. There is often more than one way to solve a problem. In fact, it is important for parents to realize that math instruction has probably changed since they were kids. Today's math instruction will probably focus more on the problem-solving process than on computation alone.
Explore math in real life. For example, bake cookies, design a garden, read a map or play a game. Cooking is the perfect opportunity to discuss measurements and fractions. While on a road trip, often children ask "Are we there yet?" Parents can answer, "We've driven 45 miles. Grandma's house is 130 miles away, so how many more miles do we have left? If we drive 60 miles an hour, how much longer will we spend on the road?" At a restaurant, children can calculate how much a meal costs with a drink and dessert. They can also make change and determine how much tax or tip should be added to the bill.
Molina also reminds parents that geometry is important, too. "Math is not just numbers," he says. "It is also about geometric shapes and structures natural and man-made. You can find geometric shapes and symmetry everywhere. When out for a walk, look at different shapes. For example, beehives contain perfect hexagons. Certain flowers are perfectly symmetrical. You can find geometric shapes in buildings and bridges. With a little creativity, parents can find math activities everywhere."
Molina emphasizes, "By making math fun and relevant, we're helping our kids have a better attitude toward math, which can make a real difference in the classroom."
Information provided by SEDL, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to ensuring a quality education for all learners.
Online Math Resources for Parents
The U.S. Department of Education has two guides online for math activities that parents can do with their children:
www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Math/funmath.html
www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/math/index.html
PBS has a Web page dedicated to early math skills: www.pbs.org/parents/earlymath
About.com includes quite a few math games: childparenting.about.com/od/learningenrichment/a/mathskills.htm
The Kidsville News! Web site, www.kidsvillenews.com, features sudoko and other math games.
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