Are you worried about your kid hating math? So many parents stress about their child’s math education and feel unequipped to help. With most of the US adopting Common Core standards, this anxiety has only increased.
Many parents feel like because they learned math differently, they can’t help support their child with Common Core learning. But they can. You can! It is as simple as working math topics into daily conversations.
Common Core is all about real-world and interdisciplinary learning. You can do this at home every day. Talk and ask them about numbers, shapes, and counting in your daily activities. Not sure what this looks like? We’re sharing 3 tips to get you started.
Here are 3 proven strategies you can start today to help your child with Common Core math — and maybe even help them see that math can be fun!
- Build with them!
Building together can be fun, creative, AND one of the best ways to strengthen your child’s visual spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning is a critical math skill and one that is heavily relied on in the Common Core methodology. So get out the Legos, the paper towel rolls, or the magnatiles and build something together. While you work, ask them which shape they are using, what the next step may be, etc.Asking your child to conceptualize an idea and then bring it to reality is a great way to support their math education (and hey, they could probably use the connection time with you, too!). - Play board games together – and bring math into the conversationIn our modern world, screens seem to dominate our entertainment time. While there are lots of good apps and programs like Revolution Math for supporting math skills, we recommend also playing some board games with your kids! Games are fun, engaging, and a great way to talk about math!Talk about what you might roll on your next turn, the likelihood of getting the card you need, and how rolling a different number would affect your game strategy. Many board game strategies are built around simple math concepts, making it easy to support math learning while you play together!
- Take them shopping (even if its virtual/online grocery shopping)Grocery shopping. It’s so easy to get into the zone, grab the items from the list, and be done. With kids in tow, it can feel even more essential to check it off fast. But slow down next time, and take a few minutes to bring up some math topics. These work even if you are doing your grocery shopping online. Have your kid sit next to the computer with you and talk about shapes and numbers.Here are some prompts to start you off:
What shape is this peanut butter container?
It says I can get a dozen or a half dozen? How many eggs would be in each of those?
These crackers are 25 crackers for $4, and this brand has 40 crackers for $5. Which is the better deal?”You can do your shopping trip as normal, and just bring up these questions during check out, or right before you click “schedule pick up.”
Talking about math doesn’t have to be forced or scheduled or related to their homework. Bring math concepts into your daily life at home with your kids and you’ll be doing them a huge service! By talking about it regularly in low-pressure or even fun settings, you are creating a positive connection that will fuel their learning in the classroom.
