They also have some great “Top Tips for parents:
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Be positive about maths. Try not to say things like “I can’t do maths” or “I hated maths at school” – your child may start to think like that themselves
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Point out the maths in everyday life. Include your child in activities involving numbers and measuring, such as shopping, cooking and travelling
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Praise your child for effort rather than for being “clever”. This shows them that by working hard they can always improve”
Dice are another great resource to have in the house for developing super mental maths skills which really do make maths more accessible at all ages. For younger children, learning to identify the numbers represented by dots is a great way to start – making connections between images and cardinal numbers. As they get older simply adding numbers rolled on a six-sided die is great practice; if you have access to 10 or 20 sided dice then practising number bonds is great fun. Children love the responsibility of creating their numbers by rolling the die – the random nature of it all, the surprise! Roll a die three times – what is the biggest number you can make with those digits? The smallest? What is the difference between the biggest and the smallest? So many variations on what you can do.
For older children, revision guides and work books are great. They are intended to support their school learning – either as a homework, revision resources or just practise. There are books for all ages – some will need parental support.
Maths is all around us and an integral part of life. You can incorporate it into your day with your child from cooking, to reading a clock, working out how long a programme is on the tv, budgeting for an online food shop, organising buttons by size and colour and so on. It’s true – maths can be fun!
by Allie White, educational consultant to BrightMinds
As a parent and former-teacher, Allie has a hands-on approach to home learning, believing that the best learning is done together in a relaxed environment.
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