"How Do I Make Math Fun for My Child?"

“How do I make math fun for my child?” If this thought has ever crossed your mind, you’re not alone! Most adults realize how important math is in our daily life. Just about any job requires solving math problems of one type or another. Whether you are a salesperson figuring your commission, a store owner doing inventory, or a manager calculating payroll, math affects all of us, everyday.

So what can you do to get your child more interested in math? It can be quite challenging to get children excited about their math homework, when they would rather be playing ball down at the park! A big issue that many children have with math is that they just do not see the role it plays in their everyday life. You can tell them that math is important to their future, but for a lot of children, their “future” seems light years away. Their whole “center of interest” revolves around “right here and right now”.

On the plus side, there are several things you can do to help your children succeed  in mathematics. The secret is to show them HOW math affects them, in the “here and now!”  Following is a list of popular tips:

1. Get your child involved in household activities that involve math. When you go to do the weekly grocery shopping, tell them how much you plan to spend. Let them help pick out the items you will need for meals. Help them calculate the cost per meal based on different brands and package sizing.

2. Are you doing any improvements around the home? Get you child involved in the project! Let them help measure and calculate how much material you will need. Whether it is grass seed, floor tile or wall paper, there is certainly something they can help with. Of course, you may want to double check their math before you order 12 extra cartons of tile!

3. Cooking is another great way to teach children math! Measuring, recipe size converting portions, fractions, figuring cooking time for different foods… It all involves math that kids can sink their teeth into!

4. Do you give your kid an allowance? Here is an excellent way to show them the math used for budgeting and/or saving, to get the best value for their money. If you open a savings account for them at the local bank or credit union, they can learn about interest rates too.

5. Old fashion games. “Yes, Bobby… there was life before X-Box!” Pull you’re  old Monopoly game out of the closet. This and many other board games help teach basic math skills. Of course, a side benefit of these games is more family time!

These are only a few of the many ways to show your child how important math is in his or her life. There are also several fine products available that will greatly help your child find success with mathematics. So if you have ever thought “How do I make math fun for my child?” then please check my resource page for more information on several excellent math products!