It's Pi Day! Those of us that embrace our nerd-dom are celebrating by eating pie of whatever type we desire. This, luckily for me, includes my four geeky kiddos (and, yes, we use the term "geek" in a loving, celebratory way because geeks rule the world). I have been blessed with four kids that absolutely love math and are incredibly gifted in the math world (for their ages). I get asked all of the time how I managed to "get my kids to be so smart." Yeah, I have no answer for that. We read a lot and I fully believe in teaching them the old fashioned way along with the common core they use in school to be able to choose which way they can resolve things the best.
With all that said, here are the ways I've used to encourage my kiddos to learn more basic math skills (and love it).....
Use Real Life Experiences... So what does this mean? It means to use real life, daily experiences to help them learn. Make them count out money to encourage counting by 5's, 10's, quarters, and so on. Make them figure out price per unit once they're old enough. Discuss different math related "issues" (such as planning parties etc) to help them learn problem solving. Have them learn about budgets. Not only will these experiences help them learn and embrace math in school but it will also teach them important life skills they'll need later on. Double whammy!
Celebrate their victories Celebrate when they learn to count to 10 or 100. Celebrate when they learn to add. Celebrate when they learn all their multiplication facts. Don't give them a high five for every teeny assignment but, instead, celebrate small victories and goals that they've set.
Don't overthink it Yes, it is important to talk about why a problem was marked wrong on homework. However, don't overthink it. Instead of sitting down each night to discuss why their incorrect answers were marked incorrect, discuss similar problems in your free time. Don't focus so much on needing them to correct their homework. Focus more on allowing them to understand the CONCEPTS. You don't need to point out their wrongs to achieve helping them to learn it as they go.
Make it fun Okay, this sounds impossible for so many but it's actually true. I've done everything from putt putt golf to water balloons and everything in between. You can turn math into a game and make it fun for them. Ironically enough my kiddos are actually good at creating their own games as they get older.
Celebrate words like "geek", "nerd", and "dork" Realistically this applies to all situations, in my opinion. Before they even hear these words in a teasing manner, redefine these words in their minds. Then, when they're called a "geek," they won't associate it with being self-conscious. They'll associate it with being brilliant (which in reality is what it truly is). Make sure that they know that they shouldn't feel bad or ashamed of being intelligent.
and finally.....
Don't be afraid to teach them a different path In the age of common core, there are kids that struggle to understand math (almost equally as much as they did BEFORE common core, in my opinion). While I understand that common core had a good intention (to teach a different way to kids that struggle with understanding the old way), it hasn't necessarily delivered on it. I am blunt with the kids' teachers that I work with them in old methods too and the teachers are very receptive to the fact that they're being taught different ways to try things out (and clearly it's working out okay as they're all advanced). Don't be afraid to teach them an old-fashioned way to try things out. Different kids learn different ways and your kids might enjoy and be able to use an old way more.
Whatever your approach, teach your kids, by example, to understand math in an every day way and they'll learn to love it more! Now go eat some pie!
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