Mathematics is one of the most basic and fundamental areas of our lives. We begin to understand and describe shapes and spaces around us using mathematics before we even learn how to sit. And for accelerated math students in a blink of an eye they are preparing for AMC 8 math.
As we all use mathematical intelligence from the first moment we open our eyes to this world, the way we train and improve our maths skills becomes significantly effective on the quality of our lives. That’s why understanding the importance of maths and discovering ways to improve maths skills becomes more important, especially for parents to support their kids’ future success.
Why Is Maths So Important For Kids & Students?
Learning maths is similar to building a pyramid: you need a good foundation to build the perfect shape. Mathematics is not just about complicated algorithms and calculations. In fact, many people find math problems difficult or complex because they don’t receive proper mathematics education during their childhood, and miss out on the opportunity to build a strong base.
A lack of maths knowledge can even affect cognitive development in other areas of life. It’s been proven that children who have a strong mathematics education can make better sense of life and establish cause-and-effect relationships with greater ease.
The fact that these crucial life skills directly increase in proportion to one’s mathematical skills makes it clear that developing math skills in early childhood will have a direct effect on one’s future success.
This means parents have a big role to play when it comes to their child’s mathematical — and future — potential.
How To Improve Child’s Maths Skills
When children don’t develop any mathematical skills while they’re young, it becomes increasingly difficult to learn advanced concepts later on. Also, parents can observe whether the kid has math learning disability (Dyscalculia) so they can learn how to support the child before school. That’s why a student’s education begins at home, and even when they start going to school, parents have a huge impact on their after-school activities.
This means parents play a big role in their children’s mathematical success.
Here are some tips for parents that will help them support the improvement of their child’s maths skills:
First, understand how children learn
Children need a stimulating learning environment in which they can play and practice new concepts. At this point, they need their parents or teachers to mentor them. Their brains are ready to learn but they need lots of guidance.
TIP: Before creating the best learning environment for your kids, you need to consider what her/his brain hemisphere is more dominant. Here’s a suggested article which you can learn more about: Difference Between Left Brain and Right Brain
Below is an outline of the best learning process for children, divided into three phases.
- Playing and exploring: Children investigate and experience things by engaging with them through play. This is a hands-on process shaped by the child’s curiosity. This phase allows children to learn basic knowledge about their environment and develop common sense.
- Active learning: Children actively use their knowledge to build their confidence, seek challenges, and learn how to take risks. This also triggers character development — they can start to view failures as opportunities to learn, not obstacles. Active learning happens through repeated practice, and the best and most fun way for children to practice is to play.
DEVELOPING MATH SKILLS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
As mentioned before, children start learning maths the moment they start exploring the world. Infants will compare the shapes and sizes of objects, recognise differences in quantities, and use early maths concepts in their daily lives. Maths skills help children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which have a direct effect on their future academic and career success.
How To Develop Maths Skills In Children
Most children who start school experience difficulty in maths because they did not complete the above-mentioned processes with the right guidance. Falling behind their peers can be stressful for both the child and their parents. But it’s not too late — each child is still able to learn and develop their maths skills.
At this point, it is very important for parents to determine their child’s existing level of maths in order to identify the gaps and find the right maths resources for children (e.g math games). Once this is done, their child will be able to keep up in school without losing their motivation or self-confidence.
1- Stay in touch with your kid’s math teacher
Kids spend most of their time at school. This means teachers are a great source of feedback and guidance. You should be open and honest, and talk to your kid’s math teacher so you can cooperate and help your kid overcome their maths problems without any issues.
2- Use technology in a beneficial way
Children love technology. Don’t be the kind of parent that bans technology in the house. Instead, let them test out their curiosity and use technology in a beneficial way. You can encourage them to find cool maths games for children, math problems or math riddles for kids on the internet.
There are even applications developed specifically for this purpose. For example, MentalUP is an app designed to support children’s cognitive development with fun kindergarten math games.
