Tips to boost your child’s confidence and Maths results.

Tips to boost your child’s confidence and Maths results.

1. Take a moment to self-analyze your own ‘math attitude.’

If you hate math and are reluctant to do it, this will rub off on your kids whether or not you intend for it to.

Stop saying things like “some people are just bad at math,” “I never got it either,” and “just get through it because you will never use it again.”

Math is like being in shape; you have to work at it.

Some people may need to workout longer or harder than others to get to the same level of fitness, but that does not mean some people can never get fit. Same with math!

Encourage your kids to be willing to put in the work and see the improvement.

2. Teach your child to work independently

Working independently is a crucial skill that your child needs to be successful.

“Mommy/Daddy! I’m stuck!” is a phrase that most parents hear constantly while their children are doing homework. 

With our lives being as busy as they are, it is sometimes much easier to just give them the answer and return to whatever we were busy with before. 

This, however, teaches your child that someone will eventually give them the right answer and that they don’t need to challenge themselves to find the answer. 

At the end of the day, this could set them up for misery.

So many children are petrified of seeing a little red cross in their school books or tests, so they are afraid to try, lest they give the dreaded ‘wrong answer’. 

Teach your child that a wrong answer is an opportunity to get it right next time, and that the people who love them will not care if they give an incorrect answer now and then. 

Encourage them to try. Try and solve that pesky Maths problem. 

Try, try, and then try again.

As difficult as it may be, don’t just give them the right answer when they ask for it.

Sit with them and encourage them to find the answer themselves. 

Help them by nudging them in the right direction, but don’t make it too easy!

3. Ask your child to verbally explain concepts and /or methods

Maths is a “talking” subject. 

The more fluent kids are in Maths, the better each concept will “stick” and the more enjoyable the learning process will become. 

Before tests and exams, instead of only doing practice worksheets and/or tests set up verbal quizzes for your children. 

This process really works and is actually quite fun.

And what's more - we have the perfect Exam Quizzes for you for only R10. 

Last comment…

Stanford professor Jo Boaler, author of Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages says:

“You can learn math [on] any level you want,” Boaler says. “When you struggle with ideas, that’s when your brain is growing.” 

Encourage your kids to take things step by step and immediately shut down attempts to psych themselves out.