8 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Math Skills

Math isn’t something that every kid enjoys. It can be a true struggle for some of them. But we need to understand that it’s an essential subject that gives us fundamental life skills. Encouraging kids to learn and understand this subject can sometimes be difficult, but there are ways you can help your child be interested and invested in learning the basics, and much more.

Practise With New Textbooks

Practising math doesn’t have to be boring and repetitive. There are plenty of textbooks you can get so that your little one can solve new problems every day. Oftentimes, dealing with the same equations, numbers and tasks can have the opposite effect on the child’s learning process. Instead of wanting to learn more, they’ll start rejecting the practice and become less interested.

One way you can do this is to buy interactive Cambridge math textbooks. They’re constantly revised and upgraded so students can receive the best possible education. There are additions that address the needs of not just the pupils, but their teachers and tutors as well. The flow between the key ideas, work examples and exercise questions is improved and your kid can now easily grasp concepts and follow the learning curve.

A lot of these textbooks have three separate working programs. They’re incorporated into every exercise, giving the child Building, Progressing and Mastering learning options along the way. Every chapter ends with one or more tests where you can track the progress and see what you need to improve and work on.

If you and your kid are constantly on the move and you can’t carry a textbook with you at all times, there are downloadable PDF versions of the Cambridge math textbooks available. These versions are made so the student can create bookmarks, take notes and highlight certain important passages and equations. These textbooks are written by a team of experts and authors that understand the needs of students.

They understand the importance of visuals and pay a lot of attention to the details. They don’t clutter the books visually, use bright colours and make them as friendly as possible. All of these things make the textbook more appealing and user-friendly which is very important with kids. The practical skills incorporated help students understand difficult concepts, learn to deal with unknown math problems and apply math in real life.

Play Math Games

Kids can learn anything while they’re having fun and math isn’t an exception. Game-based learning may be the solution to your problems. The key to learning it is repetitiveness. Doing something over and over again can irritate the child and make it seem like it becomes a chore. When you incorporate it in games, however, things become easier.

Math-based activities and puzzles are a great way to do this. Bring out props like cards, dice and board games. There are specifically designed phone apps that bring fun to math and a lot of children enjoy playing with them. They have engaging, fun characters and questions and quizzes for all ages. You can also do free online tests and quizzes to test their knowledge.

Incorporate Math in Everyday Scenarios

This is an important step towards learning and improving. Try to incorporate a healthy amount of basic math throughout the day. Just make sure you’re subtle about it. Otherwise, the child won’t like doing it. Help your kids see the math all around them. For example, tell them how fast you’re driving the car from your house to school or how far away is the closest park.

When you’re at the store, count the fruits and vegetables you’re buying or how many steps there are from the front door to the toys aisle. When you’re cooking, explain the measuring concepts of grams and millilitres. They can help you calculate the discount you get or how much change you should get at the cash register. When at home, incorporate it when organising their belongings by shapes, patterns, or implementing equations. All of these simple, yet important calculations and numbers will keep their brain active and focused.

Stimulate Mental Math

Not every math problem will be written in the Cambridge math textbooks. There will be times when the child should do mental math. When doing calculations in their head, kids grasp and remember the key concepts. This is not about them doing geometrical drawings or calculus, but the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division calculations. Have them try to do it in their mind before writing it down on paper or using the calculator

Sketch the Problems Visually

Even though the math Cambridge textbook is very well visualised, sometimes you need a drawing or a sketch that’s easier for the child to understand. Nothing is more likely to induce panic than an unforeseeable word puzzle. If your kid is struggling with math, the combination of words and numbers can get very intimidating.

In many cases, these problems can be solved if you break them down and sketch them out. If Mary has seven apples and three pears, how many will she have when she eats two of each? This is a problem that you can draw, colour, cross out and count. If they don’t like drawing the actual shape, you can do it with simple dots and circles.

Don’t Skip Learning Concepts

Math is a subject that builds on itself. There isn’t a lesson you can skip and then return to it later. Taking it one concept at a time in the right order is crucial in the process. Take the time and let your kid practise and repeat until they fully grasp the concept and how it works. But if the child gets frustrated, take a step back, let them rest and try again later. Just don’t let it go and forget about it.

Look for Online Classes

There are some things you might struggle with as well. Some concepts and problems are harder than others and you’ll need all the extra knowledge to explain them to the kids. However, there are some online classes and courses that specialise in certain problems that can help you and your child a lot. Some of them are free and some charge you a certain sum of money.

Let Them Play Teacher

Another great way of learning is by teaching the subject. This goes for math as well. Get your child to teach the lessons to you or your partner. They can even do this with friends and other family members as long as they’re comfortable doing it. You can even ask them questions along the way so the kid can answer them as best as they can.

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