When students find themselves struggling with math, they often believe that it is due to a lack of talent in the subject. However, this is a wrong mentality that needs to be set right. In truth, nobody is intrinsically "good" or "bad" at math. Even if it may not seem like it, a person excels in math thanks to a combination of hard practice and the way they tackle the subject.
Since the success of a child in their math subject may depend on their confidence level in solving equations and problems, parents can play an active role in ensuring that their child develops the right mindset about math early on.
DOs
1) Encourage Them
One of the first things you can do as a parent is to tell them they can succeed. Giving them that nudge and extra boost of confidence will help them know that they have what it takes to succeed in the subject. To help them build confidence, you can enroll them in an extracurricular activity that boosts their math skills to help them achieve higher marks in school.
2) Praise Your Child
Whenever your child does well on a test or tells you that they fully understand the subject, give them the praise they deserve! Letting them know that they are doing well will mean that you are acknowledging their hard work.
3) Use Failure as a Learning Opportunity
When your little one doesn’t do as well as they’d hoped, it is important for you to help them see their failure as a learning opportunity. Take the time to sit them down and talk about why they think they did not do well and find ways for them to cope and catch up with the lesson.
DON’Ts
1) Don’t Compare Your Child to Their Peers
Even if you notice that some other children may be outperforming your child in math, it is never a good idea to point this out to them and compare them to their classmates. It will just make them feel bad about themselves and will diminish their confidence, resulting in them doing worse in math in the long run.
2) Don’t Focus Too Much on Your Child’s Natural Intelligence
When they fail a test, you shouldn’t say things like "Why didn’t you gt a better score, you aren’t stupid." Saying statements like this to your child will definitely make them feel stupid, and it will make them bewildered to receive bad marks when the lessons get more diffiuclt over time.
3) Don’t Get Too Crazy If They Get Low Marks
Lastly, don’t get angry at them if they get low marks. It will happen sometimes, especially when they are learning higher maths. Teach them to ask questions when they don’t understand something, and that there is value in persevering to better understand the subject matter at hand.
Conclusion
When it comes to math, having the right mindset will be crucial to success. There is no doubt that math will get more and more difficult as time goes on. However, with the right mindset and finding the right math class will help them overcome any obstacles and challenges that come their way in terms of succeeding in this subject.
If you need a way to help your children excel in their math subject, Mathnasium Summerside can help! Our specially trained math instructors will teach your child how to understand math in an individual setting – our unique approach enables us to effectively explain math concepts well and lend a helping hand to every student. Our tutors foster a caring, encouraging environment that helps kids thrive and learn! Enroll your child at Mathnasium Summerside and see the difference we can make in your child’s math skills today!