Your child can do math – 8 tips for parents
Many children are falling behind due to a lack of math skills. Schools today seem to do a poor job of preparing students for mathematics at the middle and high school level. Here are 5 tips that parents can use to help their children succeed in math.
1) Start early. Before your child goes to preschool, he should be familiar with small numbers, up to 10. Two is easy to teach and point to. Pair of socks, shoes, etc. Five fingers on one hand and toes. Ten fingers and toes in total.
2) At the preschool level, start counting to 20. Add small numbers, 1 plus 1 is 2. 2 plus 1 is 3. You can even start the fraction of a half. Half a sandwich and other foods are a great start.
3) By the end of kindergarten, your child should be able to count to 20 and also know what larger numbers mean. Not working with them, just being familiar.
4) In first grade it is essential that your child begin basic math facts. Most schools do a good job of starting out with basic math facts.
5) In grades two through three, you need to make sure your child becomes proficient in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing all the numbers between 0 and 12. You may need to get copies of the worksheets or flashcards. This is the MOST important step you can take to start the groundwork for your student to be successful in math. Too many children today go through the first 6 grades without these skills. Without it, they cannot do fractions or any other higher concept.
6) At the fourth grade level, and perhaps sooner, your child needs to be proficient with fractions. Nothing and everything. Again, additional worksheets and instructions are probably a must. This will be an impossible task if your child has not followed tip #5 above.
7) In all the previous stages, it is essential to do oral and mental calculations. Without this skill, your child will be forever stuck with pencil and paper. And the more work done on paper with a pencil, the more chance there is for an error. And your child will be stuck following the steps instead of “just doing the math”. Doing mental and oral calculations makes a person very comfortable with mathematics. Many adults have a phobia of math, largely because they can’t do mental math. How to do it? While driving, cooking, shopping, sightseeing, just about any situation, you can train your child in math. If a box costs $2, how much do 2 cost? How many horses do you see? Count the blue cars. Are they more boys than girls? Anything! Be creative. You can even have them recite the multiplication tables. This will also set the stage for an important skill for them to master. Word problems! How many times have you heard people say they can’t solve word problems? The word problems you make up are just another form of word problems. If your child is used to doing math, without problems written on paper, your child will not be afraid of word problems. If you do the above firmly, there is one last step left. Sometimes it’s out of your control, but do your best!
8) Put your child in a class where there is an effective algebra teacher and all math classes beyond sixth grade. It may be hard for you, but the only one fighting for your child is you!
