Mathematics is one of the most important subjects that your child will learn as they embark on their journey of education. Be it at the primary school level or onwards to high school or even beyond, the ability to do basic maths is critical to advancement in life. A person who struggles with maths is going to find themselves unemployable in certain fields and they may well even find their self-esteem and confidence undermined – such is the importance of maths in our everyday lives. So how do you help create an environment where your child can not only enjoy maths but excel at it as well? Here are a few tips to help set you on the way.
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Take it out of the classroom
Classroom learning is not always the best place to learn – especially when it comes to a subject like maths where some people are naturally quicker than others at picking up concepts. If the teacher goes too quickly there is the risk that some scholars will be left behind, while if she goes too slowly then some learners will become bored and tuned out. While the classroom is a very important place for learning it is not the only option and you should seriously look at laying good foundations by finding a maths tutor Sydney has plenty of great people or academies available and creating a one-on-one or small group situation where your child can learn at an appropriate pace. Maths is about foundations and about building systematically, the concept upon concept, on the foundations that have been built. If at any point your child misses something or doesn’t fully grasp the material, then it becomes very tricky for them to continue building thereafter – and that is where the trouble starts.
Make it fun
Maths tends to be viewed as a very serious subject. Lessons can be quite dry. But it doesn’t need to be. Look to find ways to bring maths concepts and learnings into everyday activities and discussions so that your child will learn maths without even realizing that they are learning. It can be in budgeting or in cutting up a pizza or in any number of ways or maybe calculating the estimated time of arrival when you are travelling somewhere at a specific speed. Make it fun and practical and very quickly your child will be grasping and enjoying understanding new educational concepts without even realizing that they are learning.
Don’t project your experience
A lot of how children perceive the world is based on the information that they receive from their parents. If you hated maths or struggled with it the chances are that you will pass that on to your child. Try at all costs to avoid doing this. Rather let them know that it can be fun and exciting. Create a positive expectation around maths and you might be surprised just how much they end up enjoying it.
Create good habits
It is very easy to be careless or slapdash with something like maths. It is also easy to help your child too much. Rather encourage your child to be thorough and meticulous and to do the hard yards themselves. Reward them for being patient and for employing the right logic or methodologies – even if the answer is wrong. But don’t let them guess and be silly about it. Build good lifestyle habits and encourage these and you will see these transferred into their schoolwork and their results in later life as well.
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