How to make maths fun for your child

While some of us (adults and children alike) naturally enjoy maths, others may struggle to get their head around the subject which can take the enjoyment out of it. Whether it be fear, a lack of motivation, or your child simply wants to get ahead in maths, we’ve got you covered – Absolutely Education has teamed up with Mathnasium Clapham, who specialise in teaching maths to children from 4-16 years old, to bring you the best tips and tricks to make maths fun for your child.

Gamification

There’s nothing children love more than playing games and a bit of friendly competition. Why not use this natural inclination to their advantage and help your child enjoy maths by exploring the plethora of games that incorporate it? Believe it or not, the old family favourites such as Connect Four, Monopoly and Four Way Countdown are filled with maths lessons. Not only can they teach kids how to add, subtract and multiply, but they can also introduce them to number sequencing and even probability. Studies show that gamification works as the likelihood of children taking a risk, or implementing feedback after making a mistake is so much greater than in normal learning, making it a great way to learn new things and make them stick!

Show them the relevance

It’s easy to take the struggle out of maths and help children get ahead through incorporating it into daily life. Let your child help with simple tasks, whether it be in the house or out and about; you will be surprised how their maths skills naturally improve. Involve them in activities like measuring ingredients during cooking, telling the time, or using money – little ones can sort coins and older ones can help estimate the total grocery bill while shopping. Children love to understand the how or why behind things, so by showing them how and why maths is useful in everyday life, their enthusiasm for maths can grow as their fears diminish.

Let screens be of service

We all know how much children enjoy using their electronic devices. Instead of fighting to get children off the screens and focussing on their homework, you can incorporate learning into screen time by downloading a variety of fun educational apps to support their learning. One app that many schools swear by is Time Tables Rock Stars which focuses on improving children’s ability to learn and retain their times tables through entertaining interactive games. Teachers can set work for the child individually, giving them access to games which help them on times tables they need to practice most. By blurring the barriers between work and play, you can help your child associate maths with fun, rather than a tedious task which takes them away from play.

Grow their confidence

More often than not, when a child does not find maths fun, or has no interest in trying, it’s usually because they are struggling with maths. When a child is unable to perform at a similar level to their peers, this starts to impact their confidence and self esteem which leads them to reject maths. Children do not inherently dislike any subject, but what they do dislike is feeling incapable or marginalised in a classroom that caters for the majority and not the individual.

One easy way to help your child if this is the case is by growing their confidence in maths through supported learning. Mathnasium strongly believes in teaching maths in an individual way; by catering to the specific learning needs of each child, children can learn in a way that’s fun and makes sense to them. Rather than teaching children according to their year group Mathnasium begin by building on the knowledge that children already have, which starts boosting their confidence from the very beginning. With the right guidance, your child will not shy away from maths problems, but instead see them as a welcome challenge.

The Mathnasium Method

For over 40 years, Mathnasium, the specialist maths-only learning centre, has been transforming the way children understand and appreciate maths. If your child is struggling with maths or is simply trying to get ahead, Mathnasium have tools, backed by years of research, to help your child achieve their goals. Utilising a variety of methods such as star cards – a reward system based on a child’s performance relative to their ability, fun events and playing music to aid concentration, Mathnasium puts the fun back in maths. The Mathnasium Method incorporates an initial assessment to discover where your child needs the most help. A customised learning plan is created and specially trained instructors implement the plan, working with each student individually to help them leap ahead in maths.