Maths might feel like a subject that can be difficult for children to handle, but it’s a good subject to feel invested in. Your child could be finding Maths pretty tough, and that’s when you will need to make the activities more fun and exciting, as well as helping them enjoy school.
This prep school in Herts recommends a range of top tips to help your child enjoy learning about maths, by using a range of fun and exciting activities to keep them enticed.
Apply storytelling to a maths problem
Maths in its broader concept can be difficult for children to comprehend at times. It’s a good time for children to learn about how maths can be used in everyday situations. A good example is in cooking or baking where your child can weigh out the ingredients they need to make a cake or recipe.
Another way you can incorporate storytelling is taking the numbers out of the sum or equation and adding in realistic elements. For example, if 1 person has 6 coconuts, how many would need to be used in a recipe for 2 people?
Visualising a story within the maths problem can make children think in a different way to what they’re used to, but it also makes children develop a new approach to their thought processes.
Use art within maths
It might seem like a reach with children, but it actually helps your child learn to visualise things a lot better. It does mean that your child has to think in a different way because of it, but it builds a lot of positive reinforcement in them.
Draw out numbers together with chalk, or use paint to make big artistic creations, and then incorporate maths into those activities. It’s a good time to explore maths from a completely different perspective, especially for children who are still exploring their particular learning style.
Use apps and games
Technology always feels a bit like something you shouldn’t force your child to pick up all of the time, but they always have their benefits in handling all sorts of problems and issues. Maths is a good example of this with plenty of games and activities for your child to pick and brush up on their maths skills easily. It’s a good way to show your child the benefits of using a phone or tablet to complete some of their work or revision. It’s even something you can rely on when your child is older and needs someone to test them in their skills.
Make topics seasonal
Learning can still be fun across the year with seasonal themes. Make activities for your child around Halloween, Easter and Christmas, among lots of other days across the year. There’s a lot you can do with your child across the year that still gets them learning about Maths, as well as making them excited about what’s to come across the year.
Use exercise to get your child counting
Star jumps, the big skipping rope and clapping games, running around and heading to the playground all give your child a lot more confidence in their general Maths skills. You’re keeping everything relevant and there’s also the opportunity for your child to improve their exercise. It’s a good way of helping children be a bit more practical in what they are learning and how it can improve their memory skills.
Maths can feel very difficult to overcome but it can also be fun and exciting when you switch perspectives. Take the time to help your child with their skills in maths so that it doesn’t feel as daunting for them when they get to handling them on their own. And maths is a very rewarding subject to build on that will guide your child through life in many ways.
