How to Encourage Girls in Math

With all the advances in equalizing education and opportunities for women, studies continue to show that girls tend to hold back in the area of math. This is especially true when girls reach early adolescence and puberty. Their self esteem and view of themselves in relation to their male peers plays an important role.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Access to good supplemental math games and materials
• A positive attitude toward math

1. Decide if your daughter is gifted in the area of math, or has a great love for the subject early on. Early aptitude for math is a good indicator.
   
   
2. Praise your daughter for all her efforts in the area of math. Get as excited about good addition as you do about a pretty picture or nice handwriting.
   
   
3. Don't push too hard too early even if she has good math skills early on. Allow her to develop at her own rate and see if the inclination towards math grows during the early elementary years.
4. Provide your daughter with quality math games for the computer or video game system. If she sees math as fun, she's more likely to stay with it.
   
   
5. Show your daughter how math is used everyday. Get her into the kitchen measuring with you, but make sure she gets into the garage with Dad as well. Math is everywhere.
   
   
6. Talk about women who use their math skills at work each day. Careers in medicine, technology and engineering are all available to girls who like math.
7. Find ways to boost your daughter's overall self esteem. Girls who feel good about themselves are more comfortable excelling in areas often dominated by the boys.
   
   

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to categorize girls and boys and what they love. Girls who are encouraged early on to try anything are more likely to excel in math.
• Keep a careful eye on your daughter during puberty and early adolescence. She will become more aware of what boys are thinking of her and may hold back to impress them.
• Communicate through your own attitudes about girls and what they can achieve. Don't place limits on your daughter's ability to achieve whatever she sets her mind to.
• A serious drop in grades at any stage of puberty can be a warning of self esteem issues. Talk with your daughter regularly about how she feels about herself and encourage her to find friends who love math as much as she does.