MATHS
7 SECRETS
to keep your child busy
with Math
About 62.3% of families have both parents working full time, whereas, after working hours, they still have to worry about their child’s education. It is true that being more involved in their education would make your child more motivated to learn, but there are just some days when you just want to take a break from reality.
The secret to this is to keep your child busy! Independent learning is becoming a fast trend among schools and even in some households, where this learning method actually helps the learner identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as improve their performance.
What better way to inculcate independence in your child than keeping them busy with Math? Children as young as 6 years can develop math anxiety, but if your child is engrossed in solving math problems, there is no doubt that math anxiety would never be an issue. Kickstart your child’s love for math with these topics!
Measurements
As the basics of not only Mathematics but also Science, measurement is used to quantify everyday objects - such as Time, Length, Weight, Volume and, Temperature.
Measurement is the easiest topic to teach but yet the hardest to master. However, it can be done by involving them in concrete activities such as
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Counting money
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Traveling
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Cooking
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Telling time
Dr. Bryant states that measurement is the basis of human life, and without it we cannot function. Despite its simplicity being able to attain mathematical skills allows children to think critically and logically - where it helps children to form connections between:
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Maths and Sciences
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Maths and daily problems
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Maths and memory
7 million 6 hundred thousand 5 ten thousand 4 thousand 3 hundred ten and 1 unit
If you thought measurement was basic math, wait till you get to know place value. Basically, the atom of maths, place value is where your child’s math journey starts.
Many people struggle with Mathematics and that is probably because they do not have a clear understanding of this topic, especially since this topic is built upon and will be used in more complicated computations in higher education.
Research shows that being strong in this topic will generally lead to an accomplishment in Mathematics and what’s more important is your child being able to identify that a $50 note has a larger worth than a $500 note!
Letting your child sit through a VIDEO on this during dinner time would guarantee mess-free dinners (plus it's also educational)!
Place Value
Multiplication
Multiplication, just like life, complicates a lot of things:
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Increasing ingredients in recipes
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Converting currencies for travels
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And surprisingly, photography (multiplying to adjust angles, depth, perspectives, etc...)
Research shows that the ability to multiply smoothly is beneficial for their future - if your child can do it at a young age, it boosts their critical and logical thinking.
However, learning such a complicated topic may be difficult and boring, but the tip is to make it fun and interactive! Take a look at this GAME for some inspiration.
After the tedious process of multiplication, the next step will be learning how to 'undo' it using division - a difficult topic because memorization plays a key role.
Also present in everyday life, division is used mainly to split something up into equal numbers. Similar to place value, division is the stepping stone to more advanced concepts like fractions and proportions.
If your child is a pro at division, you no longer have to break up fights over who gets the bigger cookie or the last piece of cake! Make sure everyone in the family gets a ‘fair share’ of dessert with Division Games for Kids and Fun Games/Activities to teach Division.
Division
Fractions
Big, bad Fraction has arrived and is the renowned most difficult mathematical concepts in primary school.
With 4 methods of expression:
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Verbal
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Symbolic
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Numerical
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Visual
and relationships to topics such as:
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Rational numbers
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Ratios
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Proportions
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Decimal
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Percentages
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Probability, etc…
Fraction is understandably a challenge for beginners, but simplifying it using practical examples will help them better understand the topic. From there, they can apply it to real-life situations, for example, telling the time and measuring ingredients during baking.
If your child aspires to be a carpenter, doctor, pilot or architect, they need to learn geometry.
Geometry can be easily introduced by letting your child compare everyday objects to specific shapes. From this, they will move on to complex calculations involving geometry when they continue their studies.
Simple activities allow them to compare geometric shapes with objects, develop their brain signals and enhance their logical thinking. This is the cognitive process of:
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Analyzing the problem
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Accurately differentiating the problem
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Discerning given information
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Planning a strategy to solve the problem.
Geometry
Hmmm...
These 6 secret topics will help your child learn independently and on the plus side, give you more free time! Other than just keeping them busy, this guarantees your child’s opportunity to perfect their math skills.
But if you really want to kill 2 birds with one stone, keep your child busy using Duolingo Maths, a digital game-based math learning. Gamified learning has proven to foster enthusiasm and also provide performance feedback, thus creating a more relaxed learning environment where children can productively gain math knowledge.
Start your child’s independent Math journey now with Duolingo Maths - available in Apple AppStore.
