Watching your child grapple with math problems can be exhausting and evoke sympathy. Even as a child yourself, you can relate to the frustration of staring blankly at an unsolvable equation. Math is complex and mathematical problems are themselves a problem for most children.
Understanding the math curriculum every school year is a big problem. If a child gets stuck at any point, it’s difficult for him to understand the next step, eventually leading to a dislike of the subject. It’s important to recognize that students are not inherently destined to struggle with math; each child has a unique learning pace and problem-solving ability.
Math demands focus on concepts, practicing, and daily basis concept revising like through 99Math. All these things make a great help in learning this skill. However, there are some other tips and tricks that you should apply to make math an easier game for your child or students. Let’s have a look at them.
7 Tips To Improve Math Skills
Below are seven tips that can help any person to master math, both basic and advanced skills.
Math Manipulatives
For complete novices like babies, math manipulatives are best for practicing math skills. Math problems on paper might look boring, but if you put them in your children’s hands, they become lively. The concept of showing colorful blocks and bricks in the curriculum books comes from a similar idea. Remember counting on fingers always seems more challenging than counting colorful blocks.
Games: Your Best Teachers & Buddies
Math is complicated and daily practice makes it even more boring. Even constant learning sometimes develops displeasing feelings, and children start hating the subject. In such a situation, the only savior is fun, so try to bring it back.
A great way to add fun to learning is by using the technology rightly. If you see on the internet, you will find many online games, and children love to play them. Though they are all for enjoyment or fun, why not find some apps that offer learning also?
Game-based learning not only adds fun to life but also helps children to practice simple or complex concepts. Some famous games include Prodigy, 99Math, and DragonBox 5+.Â
Moreover, such game-based learning even builds confidence. The most significant advantage is that every child can easily start learning through these apps without fearing judgment. Children often fear judgment or insult while asking for solutions to math problems from tutors, teachers, or family members. Sometimes they need daily basis concept revision, and they are fearful of asking for again and again help from peers. In all such scenarios, game-based learning keeps them engaged and fearless, urges them to solve questions, and repeats exercises joyfully.
Get Math Queries From Daily Life
Math is a part of our daily life, and no one can deny that it is more crucial than being just a school subject. So, learning math skills from everyday life brings more chances of comprehending concepts. Some examples are below:
- Give them a shopping list receipt to add items’ costs.
- Tell them to subtract the total cost of items from the amount paid.
- Ask them to calculate discounts.
- Let them measure ingredients while baking and gardening to understand measurement and fractions.
- Ask them to tell you the time; let them read and interpret analog and digital clocks.
- Ask them to divide the candies with siblings and friends equally.
- Ask them to make schedules
- Allow them to count guest lists, etc.
In short, try to bring queries from whatever your child loves to do. In this way, children will not feel math as something abstract or monstrous; instead, they will start taking an interest in it to learn more.
Practice: What You Actually Need
Sometimes children think they understand the formula, but after a few days, they forget everything about it, which happens due to a lack of practice. Daily practice is essential for mastering math. Once a child starts practicing on a daily basis, not only skill learning becomes easy, but also the child starts loving math. However, you must change the strategy in a math-averse child’s case. Don’t choose books, worksheets, and flashcards; find some amazing online games like 99Math for learning math purposes.
Break The Problems and Sketch It Out
Some children are good at solving minor problems but get exhausted when it comes to word problems. The struggle frustrates the learner because they don’t know how to solve them step by step or cross each ladder.
Such problems are easy to comprehend if they are broken down into steps; in small, easy steps. And the best way is to understand and sketch out the problem first, as a visual presentation helps you get a better understanding. Don’t worry if you are poor at drawing; just like me, you can sketch by making just circles, squares, and rectangles.
Master One Concept
In the realm of mathematics, each lesson serves as a vital building block for future understanding. When a child faces challenges, it is crucial not to skip but to persistently practice and reinforce the current concept until it becomes clear.
Explore alternative approaches to enhance comprehensions, such as math manipulatives and interactive learning apps with some rewards, just as we see in 99Math. While taking breaks during moments of frustration is important, resist the urge to give up entirely. Once the concept clicks, renewed excitement will propel the child forward to conquer new mathematical horizons.
Share Your Knowledge
Teaching others what you know will also solve many problems. Sometimes, children better find a solution to problems while teaching or discussing with others instead of thinking about it sitting alone. For parents, it’s better to make a short session daily with math-averse children and ask them to teach math concepts. Ask questions also and try to give comfort and confidence to your child.
Math Skills You Can Learn through These Tips
If you follow all the tips and tricks that we have mentioned above especially daily base exercise and game-based learning like 99math, you can develop problem-solving skills and a better understanding of math; the basic skills that a student can master through these tricks are
- Number Sense
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Multiplication
- Division
- Decimals
- Fractions
- Percentage
- Measurement
- Time & Money
- Geometry
- Fact Fluency
- Spatial Reasoning
ConclusionÂ
You are not dumb, nor are your students; math problems are solvable, and anyone can learn the skill through devotion and practice. If a student follows all the abovementioned methods, then surely success isn’t far away.
