We all know how important it is to read with our children. In our culture, a bedtime story has become nearly as routine as brushing one’s teeth. But what about that other crucial subject in school—Mathematics? What can you do to help your child succeed in math?
Be Aware of Your Own Math Attitudes
The first thing experts in math education will tell you is to explore your own attitudes toward math. “I was never good with numbers” is not a comment likely to inspire enthusiasm for math in your child.
If you lack confidence in your mathematical ability, or if you weren’t fond of the subject during your own school years, a valuable alternative is to make math relevant for your child. Help him understand how math is important in everyday life.
There’s no need to profess love for geometry if you don’t feel it. Instead, explain how your child will use geometry in real life. For example, when driving over a bridge, point out that engineers who designed it had to understand the Pythagorean Theorem to make it all work.
The same applies to decimals (which are needed to calculate a tip when dining out), arithmetic (crucial for balancing a checkbook), and fractions (an absolute must in cooking).
Familiarize Yourself with What Your Child Is Learning in School
Each grade has a set curriculum with learning objectives to be covered during the school year. Find out what those objectives are for your child. Armed with this knowledge, you might be surprised at how easily you can incorporate practice opportunities into your child’s daily life. Your child’s teacher will also be able to offer suggestions on ways you can reinforce what is taught at school.
It’s the How, Not the What
Being overly focused on always getting the “right answer” can extinguish your child’s enthusiasm for math. Instead of immediately saying, “That’s right!” ask, “Are you sure that’s right?” or “How did you get that answer?”
It’s important to remember that there are many ways to arrive at the “right answer,” even for the most straightforward arithmetic problems.
While it is valuable for your child to learn traditional methods for solving problems, it is equally important to affirm that his methodology is correct if it leads to the right answer. It’s also valuable to help him understand why his approach may not be working if it doesn’t yield the correct result. Either way, you are helping your child believe in himself as a mathematician—someone whose thinking is worthwhile and purposeful.
By encouraging your child to explain his thinking—this is called metacognition in educational circles—you’re modeling an interest in the process of math. This curiosity is what will keep a child’s enthusiasm high, even when faced with a daunting problem or difficult task.
Additionally, research shows that a person who can explain how they arrived at an answer is much more likely to remember the information required to get that answer in the first place. Another way to help is by asking your child to teach you what he learned in math class that day. By explaining the process to you, he reinforces his own understanding.
You Don’t Need to Have All the Answers!
As your child progresses through the grades, even in elementary school, there may be homework problems or entire topics that you don’t understand. Don’t worry or feel embarrassed. By helping your child look for resources to find the answer, you are teaching him how to be self-reliant. It’s just as important to know where to find information as it is to have it already in your head.
Encourage Your Child
Many students feel they can’t be good at something unless they are the best. Remind your child that every student is unique. Just because he hasn’t been successful in the past with math doesn’t mean that he cannot become more capable now. If you suspect your child is comparing himself to others and that these comparisons are stifling his progress, help him set reasonable goals. As he meets these goals, he will build self-confidence and begin to view himself as a capable math student. Often, hearing that someone else—especially a parent or teacher—has faith in his ability is just the encouragement a child needs to restore his own faith in himself.
By helping your child appreciate math’s relevance in his daily activities outside of school, you’re doing more than boosting his math grade. You’re helping to make math real for him. This will serve him well not only in the classroom but also in life.
