Helping Your Child Develop Positive Attitudes About Math
Most parents enjoyed reading to their young children. It set an example, established a positive attitude toward reading, and developed a value that reading is both fun and important. Similarly, the parent's attitude and approach to math at home impact the importance and value that students place on learning mathematics in school.  Far too often parents are quick to remark, "I hated math", or "There is no way I can help with the kind of math they do now."  Statements like that make it hard for your child to see that you value math skills or that you are willing to do whatever you can to help. While it is true that math is now taught in ways much different than most parents learned it with a far greater emphasis on complex mathematical reasoning, we cannot simply give up and let our children struggle through alone.

Here are some practical suggestions to help parents help their children learn mathematics. While the information is not comprehensive, our hope is that it provides you with some ways to support your child's learning.

How do YOU feel about math? 

Your feelings about mathematics will have an impact on how your children perceive and value mathematics, as well as how they view themselves as mathematicians. Take a moment to think about these questions:
  • Did you like math in school?
  • Do you think everyone can learn math?
  • Do you believe girls are as good at math as boys?
  • Is it just as important for girls to learn math as boys?
  • Do you think of math as important and useful in everyday life?
  • Do you believe that most jobs today require math skills?
  • How are your attitudes about math impacting your children's attitudes?
    •  Two important goals for all students are that 1) they learn to value mathematics and 2) they become confident in their ability to do mathematics. Parents can help children develop a "can do" disposition toward math, by nurturing their children's natural curiosity and providing support and encouragement. Doing Math at Home
    1. Math is everywhere, yet many children don't see it. Look for ways to point out and reinforce math skills at home. For example:
  • talk about how you use math at work or in the home
  • involve children in tasks that require computing, measuring, estimating, building, following directions, problem solving and reasoning
  • look for activities that require children to use their math skills such as
    building scale models, cooking, planning trips, and playing logic games
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    1. Look for games and activities that teach and/or reinforce math and thinking.   For example, look for games that:
  • require and develop skill with mental computation and estimation
  • require players to use their math skills
  • involve the development of strategies
  • require players to think about the probability of certain events occurring
  • require the use of spatial visualization skills
  • require logical thinking
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    1. When you see articles that have data that might interest your children (e.g., sports statistics, data on teenage smoking, facts about natural disasters), share them and talk about what the numbers mean.
       
    2. Share your problem-solving strategies and techniques, mental computation strategies, and estimation strategies. Have your children teach you some. Work on the same problem, then compare strategies as well as answers.
       
    3. Invite your children to explain what was learned in math class. You could even have them teach it to you. This provides an opportunity for children to help clarify their thinking, to practice new skills, and to practice communicating mathematically. This is one of the most important ways that you can connect with your child's learning and one of the best ways to boost his or her math skills.
       
    4. If your children have access to a computer, look for software that reinforces and teaches math concepts. Help your children learn to use math utilities such as spreadsheets and graphing programs.
       
    The above ideas were taken from the Administrative Notebook for Middle School Mathematics, Plano Independent School District, Plano, Texas.
     

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