How to Teach Math to Struggling Children
If your child is struggling with math, there are many things you can do to help him overcome his difficulties. The solution lies in realizing that the difficulty implies a lack of understanding of basic concepts. Using everyday situations to play around with numbers will help your child get more familiar with these fundamentals. However, it is equally -- if not more -- important to take away the negative emotion your child associates with his inability to solve problems. This is where your approach and attitude to math will make a big difference. It is important to stop focusing on the problem and instead concentrate on finding ways to enhance your child's comfort with numbers.
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Instructions
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Sit with your child as he works on math problems. Check if he has understood the instructions clearly and is following the correct method and make a note of his strengths and weaknesses. If he finds a particular step difficult, it can mean he has not understood the concept. Encourage him to read the explanation and examples provided in the math textbook. Explain the method and ask him to carry out the necessary operation. Give him similar problems to practice solving.
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Browse math websites like Elementary Math Games. Select the appropriate grade and have your child play the free math games online. This will make math more enjoyable and take away your child's fear or anxiety. Download math worksheets from the website with problems for her to practice.
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Use playtime to reinforce the concepts of addition and subtraction. Collect items such as buttons, beans, pencils, crayons and bottle caps. Place them into a box and make your kid sort and divide each item into separate piles. Use each of these objects in turn to solve addition and subtraction problems. For example, if he has 10 buttons, ask him to give you six and find out how many he has left. If there are seven green pencils and five blue ones, ask him how many pencils he has in total.
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Provide your kid with opportunities for practicing math concepts in relaxed circumstances. For example, use grocery shopping time to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Use traveling time to practice concepts related to distances and maps. If you're stuck in traffic, make a game out of numbers on vehicle license plates. If you're deciding the size of carpet you need to buy, include your child in measuring lengths and calculating the size you require.
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Avoid reacting negatively when your child gets an answer wrong. Instead, go over the problem with her and ask questions to help her understand the step where she made a mistake. Never make statements such as, "Math is hard for you, so you need to work more." Instead, encourage her by saying, "Just understand this concept, and see how soon you will solve these problems."
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Don't make comments comparing your child's math performance to that of his siblings or friends. Never try to justify his fear or dislike of math by saying you felt the same when you were a kid.
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Tips & Warnings
Be lavish but specific in your praise when your child gets an answer right. However, make sure you don't sound insincere. There's a difference between saying, "That's great -- now you're an expert at math," and saying, "Good work on getting the multiplication step right."
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- Photo Credit old math game image by peter Hires Images from Fotolia.com
