Do you dread the moments when your child comes to you for math-related help? Don’t worry it may happen to anybody. It happens to the best of us and even celeb parents are no exception. David Beckham once openly claimed that he struggled with his then six-year-old son’s math homework citing how much the curriculum and methods have changed over the years
At any level, math can become scary once you start to fall behind. Math is like a tower of cards. It’s not possible to build higher without getting all of the foundations right. It’s necessary to go as far back into your math education until you find problems that you think are super simple, things that make intuitive sense. That’s the highest level that you properly understood what was going on, and that’s probably where you should start examining your foundation.
Do your old assignments without answers, pick old exams to review and go through any proofs once again. To really level up in math you need to get used to being confused for a while. The biggest problem with the way math was taught back in the days was that they didn’t put much time or forethought to explain why and where the final goal lies. The key to learning math is the practice in real-life situation
There are after-school programs which help kids build a strong foundation in math. Kumon is one such program where they begin by instructing kids from the point they refer to as the ‘just-right’ level of learning. Its basis the fact that every kid has his/her own level and speed of learning. Although schools follow a generalised curriculum to which the kids need to keep up with, it’s the exact reverse with the Kumon method, which acts as a supplement to what kids have learned at school. That’s why they start with taking a diagnostic test basis which the appropriate learning level for each child is determined. They practice self-learning and self-study methods which help the kids develop their logical reasoning and critical thinking skills. There’s no pressure to keep up. Kids have the liberty to level-up at their own pace. This strengthens their foundation, builds their level of confidence and makes them more seasoned over time. This method has proved to be so effective that more than 4 million kids have benefitted worldwide via the Kumon method of learning.
The key is to make math fun for your kids by employing play-teaching methods. With your little ones, you can play dice and card games to subconsciously up their numbers’ game. Cooking is another interesting tool. Ask your child questions like if you increase or decrease a certain ingredient how much of the other ingredients you need to adjust, in order to be accurate, as per the recipe mentioned. You can also drop by the world of the web. The internet can actually be your best friend. You are just a click away from finding numerous sites where they use practice exercise and instructional videos which makes learning effective and entertaining.
Kumon Global 