From A Classroom to Home How to Make Math Fun

When it comes to mathematics, kids often fall into two camps: those who enjoy it and those who…don’t. As a parent or teacher, you may struggle to find effective strategies for making this subject matter more appealing to your student. Because there are many possible reasons behind your student’s disinterest in math, it’s important to know what these reasons are so that you can properly address them.

While it’s true that math can be a difficult subject for many kids to learn, it does not mean it has to be boring or complicated. Once you’ve identified your child’s main areas of struggle, you can help them develop a positive attitude toward math by making it fun.

Making Math Less Intimidating

A great place to begin is to figure out how to make math less intimidating for your child. One of the main reasons why math can be intimidating is because it involves memorizing formulas and calculations, which can seem overwhelming at first.

By breaking down complex topics into smaller chunks that are easier to understand, children will be less intimidated. As you teach math concepts in manageable pieces, students have the opportunity to get comfortable with each concept before moving on to the next one. Rather than focusing on completing an entire lesson, try to help your child master 1-2 concepts first, even if that means they don’t complete all the assigned work. The important thing is that they are building confidence and mastery. This approach will help them feel more confident about their understanding of the material and will make it a more enjoyable experience.

Another great way to identify areas of difficulty is by administering a finely done math assessment. This will allow you to have key information on your student’s strengths and weaknesses, which can be very useful in planning instruction.

Making Math More Engaging

Another way to make math more engaging is by incorporating games and activities into your lessons. Games are a great way to reinforce mathematical concepts while simultaneously making them more interesting and entertaining. For example, you could use puzzles or matching games that involve recognizing patterns or solving equations in order to complete the task at hand.

Simple card games such as War can also be used to teach and reinforce multiple math concepts, including multiplication, subtraction, and exponent rules. These types of activities help keep students engaged while also helping them practice their problem-solving skills without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. You can utilize board games, online games, and creative math stations to make learning math more engaging for students.

Fostering Positive Attitudes Toward Math

In order for students to enjoy learning and practicing math, it’s important that parents and teachers foster a positive attitude toward math. Encouraging your students and praising their progress, no matter how small, will help build their confidence and give them a sense of accomplishment when they do succeed in mastering a skill or concept. By providing opportunities for collaboration among classmates, you will also create an environment where learning becomes exciting rather than something they dread or fear.

Here are a few thoughts that will help to foster positive attitudes toward math as you work to make it a more engaging subject for your student:

• Mistakes are good- they help you learn. By helping students see the benefits of mistakes, you can reframe a negative experience into a positive one.
• I haven’t figured this out…yet. The power of “yet” is huge and helps students to realize that nothing has to be final. By allowing for a little additional time and space, they can return to a task and try again.
• Focus on the process. It can be tempting to want to get straight to the solution or answer; however, the real learning happens during the problem-solving process. Even when students arrive at the wrong answer, the greatest value happens during the learning journey as students are exercising multiple skills like critical thinking, analyzing, and computation.