Do you have a child that hates math? Feeling at a loss on what to do to help them?
Math is an important and highly valuable academic pursuit that’s used as part of everyday life. Despite the importance that math has it is also a subject of great frustration to sit through because of its complexity and degree of difficulty. It requires great deal of skill and logical thinking, two qualities that some children may not possess in as great an abundance as others.
It is important to nurture your children towards loving math and pushing past the difficulty. Here are some tips on what to do when your child hates math.
1. Talk to Your Child About Math & Their Challenges
The first step to understanding your child and begin the process of helping them is to have a talk with them about math. Ask them why they don’t care for the subject and what their biggest challenges are.
This conversation can be a clue as to what type of person your child is and what approaches may be applicable to helping them. Do your best to do this in a comforting and supportive manner highlighting that you are there to help them and not to refute them on their thoughts regarding mathematics.
2. Ask Your Child’s Teacher For Advice
Teachers are the greatest source of knowledge and determination when it comes to academic success. They know how the curriculum works and they likely have seen other cases similar to your child. It is highly advised to speak with your child’s teacher first and will likely be able to give you precise advice on what you can do to help your child in their math classes.
The teacher may already have a plan set in place and be able to give you the resources you need to make sure your child is able to succeed.
3. Break Math Down Into Bite-Sized Pieces
A good way to help your child better understand math is to help them break it into smaller pieces. Introduce single topics at a time and attempt to master that single topic before introducing another.
This style of learning objects can be a great way for children to better understand concepts as a whole over time. Keep in mind that your child will likely struggle with certain topics and specialized help may be necessary to progress past it.
4. Utilize Extra Outside Help
Sometimes the best solution is extra outside help. Options such as a tutoring system or getting in contact with a knowledgeable Math teacher can help bring your child closer to their goal.
This can also provide another angle to look at the subject of mathematics and offer a different perspective on the difficult topics. Some people are simply better at teaching a specific subject so it is worth taking that into account as an outside help option.
5. Remain Positive & Supportive of Your Child’s Growth
While math concepts can be difficult to understand, being negative and overbearing to your child can make matters worse. Make sure to avoid discussions of wrong answers or bad grades and instead focus on improvement and increased effort. Make sure you celebrate even the smallest amount of improvement and do your best to keep the atmosphere around math homework sessions positive.
This can help give your child the motivation to push on and remain resilient when their hit for a roadblock.
6. Offer Incentives for Good Performance
It may also help to have incentives for good performance. Although with Math being an important subject, it is best to focus on the intrinsic value of completing the task and learning the concepts instead of furthering extrinsic incentives.
But small rewards and showing your appreciation for good work done can help. This can be anything from an extra hour of playtime to a small treat.
7. Ensure Your Child Has an Comfortable Environment to Complete Their Work
Your child should also have a comfortable and calm environment to do their math work. This way they can better concentrate and focus on their tasks.
Having a dedicated space like a desk or spot in the room that can help separate math homework and regular playtime activities can also help set better expectations for when and how math homework should be completed.
8. Utilize Supplementary Learning Software & Apps
Nowadays there are plenty of educational software and apps that can help supplement classroom learning. Check out some of these options and see what works best for your child.
This can be especially helpful if your child is an auditory or visual learner. Having interactive and multimedia approaches to teaching your child mathematics can prove to be incredibly helpful.
9. Research Different Math Methods
Along with software, you may find that different methods of teaching mathematics can be more effective for your child. There are countless varieties of methods that employ different approaches and each suit different types of learning styles.
Spend some Wikipedia and research different math teaching styles and find the one that best fits your child’s environment.
10. Encourage Engagement With Real-Life Math Problems
A great way to help with math is to get your child to use it to solve real-world problems. Making these problems manageable and approachable for your child can prove to be a great challenge and can help remind them why math is an important part of day-to-day life. The problems don’t have to be big and complicated and could be as simple as helping you determine how much groceries you need to buy.
11. Spend Quality Time Going Over Calculus Problems
Along with real-world problems, you can also spend quality time with your child reviewing more complicated math problems and going over the solution together. This is a great way to help your better understand why they were originally struggling.
This can also show them the importance of logic and understanding and how mathematics truly works.
12. Take the Reins & Learn Math with Your Child
Lastly, another great way to help your child understand and be comfortable with math is to do it alongside them and work on math homework together. This can help create a positive environment and even become a fun and enjoyable time for both of you. Doing this also lets your child know that you are available for help whenever it is needed.
13. Remain Consistent & Help Your Child Develop Self-Confidence
Most importantly, it is important to remain consistent and help your child during their difficult math journey. Academic success isn’t a linear process, and it requires determination and dedication to achieve.
Show your child that sticking it out and understanding a subject is important and also works to help them develop a greater sense of self-confidence.
Conclusion
Math can be a tricky subject but it is also one of the most valuable. It is essential to bring the joy of mathematics to your child and helping them by tackling the issue head-on and utilizing the right approach.
Through patience, support, and extra outside help, you can bring your child’s math skills up to speed and help them better understand the logical processes behind mathematics. With the proper help, your child will be able to progress and eventually learn to love math as well as excel in it.