Some kids do not enjoy math because they just can not see the point of it. Unlike reading or painting, all those mathematical symbols and numbers don't seem to mean anything.
What you need to do is show them how important math is in the real world.
Tell them stories about the great engineering feats throughout history, such as the great pyramids of Egypt, the Hoover dam, or the latest space missions to Mars, nothing would have been achieved without mathematics, and mathematicians.
Involve your kids in some real world math away from the classroom. Find something your child is interested in and relate it to math in some way. For example, when you're in a store, ask your kids to add up the prices and keep a running total while you shop. Then ask them how much change you should expect at the checkout.
Kids may become mentally "stuck" on a topic because they're only looking at it in one way. Perhaps they need to step outside the box and see it from a different angle.
Show them the beauty of alternative viewpoints. Help them to see situations from other people's perspective.
Get them into the habit of exploring different ways of solving a problem. Even something simple like tidying up a room can have several possible "solutions" or ways of approaching it.
Crosswords and lateral thinking puzzles are good for this kind of flexible thinking.
Eliminate negative statements like "math is hard" (even if you thought of yourself as a math dunce at school!).
Explain how everyone has a natural ability to do math and that solving math problems isn't so different from solving other kinds of problems in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment