subject: Preparing Your Child For Elementary Math [print this page] Schedule a parent-teacher conferenceSchedule a parent-teacher conference. The teacher will tell you which math ideas the student needs to focus on.
Make math a fun activity. Making flash cards or buying math games will help the child feel like math is less of a chore and more of a game.
Incorporate elementary math lessons into everyday activities. For example, if you are baking a cake and the recipe calls for 3 eggs and 4.5 tablespoons of sugar, bring the child in and have him or her figure out what else you will need if you've only used one egg and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Use money as a learning tool. No, don't pay your kids for knowing what 6+9 equals. Instead, give the child a handful of coins and let them try and add up the total. If they get the right answer, you can choose whether or not to let them chase after the sound of the ice cream truck.
Practice, practice, practice. Like learning to play the piano or perfecting your soccer skills, math should be performed on a consistent basis. Throughout each day, parents can ask their children a simple addition or multiplication problem. Additionally, math worksheets can be obtained online for kids to work on in addition to their homework. If this becomes monotonous, set up a timer so that the children can race against the clock. Little, modest tricks like this will help your child become a better math student.
Perhaps the most important thing for parents to remember is patience. Math does not come easy to everyone, and becoming frustrated will only hinder progress. Any help you can give your child at home in conjunction with the elementary math lessons they see in the classroom will allow even the most ungifted math minds to excel in the world of numbers known as mathematics.
