As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. Still, many parents lack confidence when it comes to helping their child solve math problems and may become anxious when their child brings home math homework. These parents often feel ill-equipped to support their child’s learning because they don’t think that they have the current math-specific skills to promote their child’s success in this area.
However, this feeling of inadequacy is most definitely a myth. Any parent can support their child’s math success – all they need is the confidence and willingness to do so. The following activities, designed to instill a love of math, can be incorporated into parents’ busy routines.
They encourage number sense, build confidence for the math classes to come, and generate enthusiasm and interest in math-oriented career pathways and STEM opportunities in general.
5 Tips for Learning Math at Home
Tip #1 – Take a drive with your child
Notice the shapes and signs that you observe while driving in your car or riding on public transportation. Example Questions: How do you know that is a square? What numbers or letters can you identify on a license plate? See if you can find three numbers on different license plates that equal fourteen.
Tip #2 – Incorporate math into reading
Take time to discuss the pictures in books with your child. Discuss shapes, colors, and count the objects on the page. Example Questions: How many (name something) do you see on this page? What shapes do you identify on the page? How many more _______ are there than ________?
Tip #3 – Learn at the grocery store
Compare prices and discuss greater than and less than. Also compare proportions (cost per unit/ounce/pound). Identify objects and ask students what costs more. Example Questions: Does the milk or juice cost more? Which paper towels are the cheapest to get?
Tip #4 – Make laundry fun
While you are putting away laundry, focus on counting, sorting, and comparing items. Example Questions: How many socks can you count? How many shirts, pants, etc.? Let’s make a pair of socks, how many pairs can you find? How many more shirts are there, than pants?
Tip #5 – Visit your local park
Nature provides endless opportunities to use math skills. Example Questions: How many benches do you see? Which tree is bigger/smaller, and by about how much? How many birds can you find? Count the number of stars in a given area. Based on this, estimate how many stars are visible across the entire night sky.
Math Take Home Bags
Another great resource to use as an aid to teaching students math is a take home bag that includes a guide for parents. These take home bags are designed to extend learning beyond the classroom and allow parents to be involved in their child’s education.
Each bag is packed with math-based games, activities, or supplies to help students achieve learning goals and objectives, as well as books that work in math-themed topics to reinforce why math matters in everyday life and encourage extended exploration. Along with Age Level Based Books, a corresponding Age Level Comprehension Workbook is included.
Each math bag also comes with an Engagement Guide designed to help parents/caregivers by providing step-by-step instructions and tips on how to get the most out of the materials.
We offer a $155 bag and a smaller junior bag at $85. Check them out below:
Shop Take Home Math Bags
View all of our Family Engagement Take Home Bags here!
Submitted by Darla Edwards, Executive Director at Successful Innovations, Inc in partnership with S&S Worldwide.
