| ============================================= | | | | When you're in a store, ask your kids to add |
| ============== | | | | up the pricesand keep a running total while |
| | | | you shop. Then ask them howmuch change you |
| 5 Ways To Help Your Kids Do Math | | | | should expect at the checkout. |
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| (c) Copyright 2003 by Murdo Macleod | | | | 3. Take life "step-by-step". |
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| ============================================ | | | | Success in math - as in life - is largely |
| ============== | | | | about breakinglarge projects down into |
| | | | manageable, bite-sized pieces. |
| Uh oh. | | | | |
| | | | Many kids feel overwhelmed when they see a |
| Your kids arrive home with their school | | | | list of mathquestions, and it's at this point |
| reports and it'spoor marks from the math | | | | they may decide that mathis "boring" or |
| department. Now what do you do? | | | | "hard". |
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| You may not be a math teacher, but thankfully | | | | Show them the magic of taking one question at |
| there are waysyou can help your kids improve | | | | a time, andbreaking it into tiny steps that |
| their grades. | | | | make it easy. |
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| Studies have shown that children are much | | | | 4. Encourage creativity. |
| more likely toperform well in a subject that | | | | |
| interests them. | | | | Kids may become mentally "stuck" on a topic |
| | | | because they'reonly looking at it in one |
| So here are 5 ways to get your kids excited | | | | way.Perhaps they need to stepoutside the box |
| about math andactually looking forward to the | | | | and see it from a different angle. |
| next math class: | | | | |
| | | | Show them the beauty of alternative |
| 1. Inspire them. | | | | viewpoints. Help themto see situations from |
| | | | other people's perspective. |
| Some kids don't enjoy math because they just | | | | |
| can't see thepoint of it. Unlike reading or | | | | Get them into the habit of exploring |
| painting, all thosemathematical symbols and | | | | different ways ofsolving a problem. Even |
| numbers don't seem to meananything. | | | | something simple like tidying up aroom can |
| | | | have several possible "solutions" or ways |
| What you need to do is show them how | | | | ofapproaching it. |
| important math is inthe real world. | | | | |
| | | | Crosswords and lateral thinking puzzles are |
| Tell them stories about the great engineering | | | | good for thiskind of flexible thinking. |
| featsthroughout history. From building the | | | | |
| great pyramids of | | | | 5. Be positive. |
| | | | |
| Egypt, to the Hoover dam, to the latest space | | | | Eliminate negative statements like "math is |
| missions to | | | | hard" (even ifyou thought of yourself as a |
| | | | math dunce at school!). |
| Mars, nothing would have been achieved | | | | |
| without mathematics,and mathematicians. | | | | Explain how everyone has a natural ability to |
| | | | do math andthat solving math problems isn't |
| 2. Get practical. | | | | so different from solvingother kinds of |
| | | | problems in life. |
| Involve your kids in some real world math | | | | |
| away from theclassroom. Find something your | | | | Above all, inspire confidence in your kids. |
| child is interested in andrelate it to math | | | | Teach thempersistence and how there's always |
| in some way. | | | | a solution to everyproblem. |
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| For example, do they like baseball? Terrific. | | | | We all perform better when we enjoy what we |
| During agame, ask them how many points the | | | | do, and gettingkids interested in math is the |
| losing team has to scoreto beat the other | | | | real key to success. |
| one. And how many games do they need towin | | | | |
| before they have enough points to win the | | | | They may not turn into mathematical geniuses, |
| league? | | | | but they'llthank you in later life when they |
| | | | enter the world of workand start counting |
| If they enjoy helping around the home then | | | | their salaries. |
| let them do the | | | | |
| | | | Now who said your kids couldn't do math? |
| "clever stuff". Ask them to work out the | | | | |
| sizes for thatwood you're going to cut. Or | | | | 'Fun With Figures' shows anyone of any |
| get them to measure out theingredients for | | | | ability the easy wayto do mental math. Visit |
| the cake you're about to bake. | | | | the site today and find out whatyou didn't |
| | | | learn in the math class. |