Does your child hate math?
Math fear is very common in children. Kids who dislike math attempt to avoid their classroom sessions. The fear of giving a wrong reply stops them from making attempts. They also compare their scores with their peers and might experience anxiety. Are you worried about your child’s overall academic performance going down? Does he show dullness or tell you that he dislikes math. What do you think is the reason?
It could be anything- conventional teaching methodology, poor mentors or lack of fundamental knowledge.
A child’s foundational math skills have to be really strong. Parents being the first teachers can play an important role in building up keenness and interest in the subject. Engage kids in interesting math talk right from the age of four. Talking about numbers and spatial relationships around them can be helpful. It is always a good idea to expose any form of learning in fun ways. So search for a play way method using manipulatives and help your little ones develop a deep understanding of numbers.
It is challenging for quite a lot of parents to help kids love math. Building a positive attitude is very crucial. Sharing stories about your own hatred for numbers might give kids a negative thought about the subject. Always be comfortable with children, trying and failing. This attitude empowers them to try better each time and ultimately be fearless about the subject. Any child would always be keen in tackling math challenges if parents were interested in the process of problem solving rather than correct answers. Teach them that struggling is okay.
It is seen that at an elementary level all kids perform equally well. Gradually, some children begin to struggle hard. This happens because certain concepts are left without proper understanding, leading to a gap which becomes bigger with each passing grade. Although a few gaps do not impact the overall performance but they accumulate over a period of time and become real hurdles. Thus, at a certain point children start disengaging and struggling, which is mostly around third or fourth grade. With STEM careers being an important choice for future, math is an important skill which cannot be ignored.
There are certain things that can surely help a struggling child make a comeback on the concepts that posed a hurdle:
- Going back by one grade- It is always good to look back. If old books are deeply revised it becomes easier to figure out which topics need attention and practice. Working on the fundamentals is extremely important and this is the first step to a deep rooted knowledge on the subject.
- Daily rigour- Practice makes perfect. Only regular practice on the usage of concepts can help a child get rid of math fear. This will definitely get him good scores, build confidence and thereby develop love for math.
- Learning tricks- Short cuts are always helpful. Vedic Maths can be of great help for enhancing the speed of performance. Programs like Aloha mental arithmetic can be introduced to children for making speedy calculations with little effort. This would build immense confidence in a child and develop a sense of liking for math.
- Learning from mistakes- Most kids do not make attempts because of the fear of making a mistake. We must encourage them to make multiple efforts instead of giving up on challenges. Identifying the question properly helps. There can be multiple ways of solving a problem but the method with takes the least time and memory must be applied.
- Create a math centric environment- Let your child read about mathematicians. Their life stories could be really inspiring to the little minds. Also allow them to play with different kinds of lego, card games and chess or do some origami. You can also keep an abacus or a Rubik’s cube around the study area for them to fiddle and develop some inquisitiveness on what these tools are!
If you feel your child needs additional support in math you can contact us. We will be really happy to help your kid be excited about numbers and develop love for math!
