March 3 is World Maths Day and to help parents struggling to keep their child’s interest and enthusiasm going with a subject that can baffle the best of us, educational toy website ZooBooKoo.com, has put together some numeracy tips for parents.<\/p>\n
1. Get real ! From a young age and at every opportunity encourage your child to count out loud: eg apples in the shop.\u00a0 Build up to working out how many items you need to buy : eg if there are four in your family, and you will each eat two apples in a week, how many do you need for the week? Extend this to working out how many miles to go when travelling and other every day situations<\/p>\n
2. Number line. This is a line with numbers \u2013 usually to 20 to begin, continuing higher in schools.\u00a0 It visually demonstrates to the child increasing and decreasing quantities.\u00a0 Many of us learn visually.\u00a0 Learn to use it with your child.\u00a0 Make your own on a large sheet of paper \u2013 it could be a colourful snake, a long scarf etc, and work through lots of examples saying if you start on 6 and add 2 how many do we have.\u00a0 Try subtracting too.<\/p>\n
3. Number bonds. These are as vital in the early days as the times tables are later.\u00a0 They form a building block for the harder sums.\u00a0 See below for a useful list of number bonds for various ages.\u00a0 Ensure your children know their number bonds by heart<\/p>\n
4. Times tables. Probably the most important building block in a child\u2019s numeric development.\u00a0 It is a key stone to all other mathematical challenges, not to mention incredibly useful in real life.\u00a0 Listen the CD in the car, chant them, sing them, forwards, backwards, test each other, practice the easy ones they may have forgotten.\u00a0 Make it second nature for them \u2013 this is a gift for life<\/p>\n
5. Activity place mats. Extend meal and snack times into useful together time.\u00a0 Before the meal and after you can have fun with write-on wipe off activity maths mats \u2013 available for all ages.\u00a0 There are even some Magic Mats which have invisible answers that the children can reveal by rubbing a magic box with their finger (see below for details).\u00a0 This can buy you valuable time to prepare dinner!<\/p>\n
6. Dice games. Keep a dice game in your bag for those \u2018waiting\u2019 moments in restaurants or at the doctors.\u00a0 Many are great fun and are wonderful for reluctant mathematicians (education by stealth).\u00a0 Try Demon Dice or Diva Dice<\/p>\n
7. Think in 10s. Think in 10s.\u00a0 You may do this instinctively but if not then start now.\u00a0 So 22 plus 13 is 22 plus 10 plus 3.\u00a0 Or 58 minus 39 is 58 minus 40 plus 1.\u00a0 It is so much easier to take away or add quickly in 10s and then add or minus the single digits.\u00a0 Practise this with your child to do this<\/p>\n
8. Height chart. Run a height chart at home.\u00a0 Make or buy one.\u00a0 Discuss growth, working out the amount grown and the differences between siblings and parents.\u00a0 Ask relatives and friends to be measured.\u00a0 Great fun!<\/p>\n
9. Pocket money. When your child is of an age where you feel they can have (or preferably earn through chores) pocket money, run a points system.\u00a0 Points are gained through the week for good behaviour, special moments of kindness or thoughtfulness, tidying up etc and they are lost for poor behaviour, nastiness etc.\u00a0 Each point is worth so many pennies.\u00a0 5p is a good starting place (this will test your mental maths as they get older \u2013 imagine 6p per point!).\u00a0 You can gear the system to arrive at a figure you feel is reasonable for pocket money.\u00a0 You may need to run a chart to remember the score!<\/p>\n
10.\u00a0\u00a0 Maths for parents. Many schools and colleges offer various free \u2018maths for parents\u2019 courses.\u00a0 Get involved!\u00a0 This is a great way to understand how and what your child is learning.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the same as it was back in our day!<\/p>\n