We do not have a choice to like math or not—we use math in our daily lives, knowingly or unknowingly. Help your child learn math in a more interactive and fun way.
If your child is struggling in math and you want to lend him/her a helping hand, but don’t know where to start, from. Here are some strategies you can try to make math enjoyable.
Help your child to look at math differently, start by discussing the subject at home. Sometimes, all you need is a good learning environment and a different approach to unlock your child’s potential.
Terminologies: Help your child remember terminologies like ‘Odd-Even “prime and composite numbers by playing a simple stand-up and sit-down game. For every odd number you call out loud, ask your child to stand, and for every even number you call out loud, ask him/her to sit or vis-a-versa. First start saying the numbers slowly, till your child is able to get a hold of them and then eventually increase the speed.
Shapes, symmetry, angles:
- Fold clothes and bedsheets with your child in perfect symmetry.
- Look around the house for different geometric shapes. Ask your child to identify the 3D objects and 2D shapes in the house.
- Use household items such as toothpicks, satay sticks, empty tissue rolls, and aluminium foil rolls to construct different 3D shapes.
- Encourage your child to look out for objects with the same shapes, in the house, in the neighbourhood or even while travelling.
- Help your child recognize and identify real-world examples of right angles (e.g., the corner of a book, table, photo-frame) and parallel lines (e.g., railway tracks, stairway railings)
Fractions, ratio: Baking is not only a wonderful activity to learn ratio and fractions in a creative way but also an excellent stress buster activity. While baking cookies with your kids, intentionally use the term ratio between the sugar and flour is 2:4. This will help them remember the concept well. Ask them to cut the cookies using child-friendly knives in halves, one-fourths, one-thirds etc. Isn’t it a delicious way to learn fractions and ratios?
Data handling/Statistics: Prepare a chart of the daily weather while watching the weather reports, a scoreboard for each player while watching a live sport on TV or collect data on your favorite weekend spots while going for a quick staycation. Use this data you’ve collected and make a pictograph or a bar graph.
Computation:
- Count verbally with your child in twos, fours, fives.
- Provide your child with verbal math problems. “Take the number two; add four; multiply by five; divide by five; subtract three. Make your own mental problems. Create a story math problem to make it interesting.
- Encourage your child to read the nutrition chart on the back of the products. Make them calculate the percentage of specific nutrients in each food item.
- During the shopping season ask your child to calculate what amount will you require to pay on subtracting the discount amount.
Use math in your day-to-day routine: A good knowledge of maths and the ability to apply it are essential parts of our everyday lives.
- At a red signal, how many red/blue cars do you see?
- At the grocery store, how many ice creams can we buy if we only have Rs. 200?
- How much will the chocolate box cost if there is a 25 percent off?
- Add up the numbers on the licence plate of the vehicles in front of us while driving.
Once you show your child realizes how much fun math can be, he/she will gain enthusiasm and a forever love for it.
Math is a subject that MBIS teachers make interesting using creative pedagogical techniques.
We at MBIS, the best international school in Mumbai, strive to create a positive and Unique learning environment for every student so they can learn without being stressed.
