How Parents Can Get Kids To Enjoy Studying Mathematics

Mathematics is everywhere – from calculating the total price of your groceries to understanding the interest rates of your loans – this useful subject that you learn from young in school will stay with you for life.

As parents, it is only natural for you to want your child to excel in maths as it is not just relevant to our daily life, but is also a prerequisite for advancing in Singapore’s education system. Hence, getting your kids to like maths from a young age can help to develop their mathematical thinking skills so they get a headstart in school.

If your child is exhibiting signs of disliking maths, here are some ways you can get them to start enjoying learning the subject.

Read on to find out more!

1. Play math games

All kids love playing games and time spent on such recreational activities is often considered stress-free and fun. Hence, incorporating maths into games helps to make learning a positive experience so that they dread it less in return.

For instance, teaching your child how to play blackjack is a great way to encourage addition skills and knowing when to start or stop adding. Board games like Monopoly are also beneficial as they include pretend money that allows your child to practise counting.

Before enrolling your child in math tuition in Singapore when they are in primary school, consider playing math games with them first. Games may not be all that distracting to your child’s learning process as long as proper supervision and appropriate time are allocated.

2. Ask meaningful math questions

Nothing would bore a child more than math questions that are repetitive and one-dimensional. Instead of asking “what is 3 x 5?” constantly, go with meaningful questions that will pique your child’s interest and encourage them to put a little more thought and effort into answering.

For example, if your child loves fashion, quiz them on the price of different items that would make up an outfit and get them to stay within the budget through addition and subtraction. You could even go a step further by incorporating discounts that would require an understanding of percentages.

This is one of the tricks that math tutors and teachers in school love using to make lessons less mundane.

3. Help your child see the purpose of maths

Thinking of maths as a subject they simply have to excel in so as to progress in school can be detrimental for your child over time. To help your child love maths and enjoy studying it, letting them see the power and purpose of the subject may be helpful.

When completing daily activities or running errands such as paying bills, shopping for groceries and topping up petrol, let your child take part and explain the importance of maths in such instances. Get your child to calculate gas mileage or the total price of your groceries, for example, to help them see how maths comes into daily life.

4. Teach your child to manage their allowance

Lastly, teaching your child how to manage their allowance is also a great way to get them to love maths. Most kids in Singapore get a few dollars of daily allowance and encouraging them to save a portion of their money helps them to learn budgeting which includes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

When they manage to save their money to use it on things they like, they will feel a sense of achievement and help them to understand that learning maths is not that daunting after all.

Try these tips today and see if there is an improvement in your child’s attitude towards maths!

Alternatively, consider hiring a primary school math tutor in Singapore who will be able to help your child master the fundamentals of maths as well as advance into more challenging concepts and problem-solving methods.

Here at CalibreMath, our tutors are experienced in teaching both lower and upper primary students to help them prepare for PSLE math as early as possible.

Enrol your child in a class now!