New Year. New Goals. 10 New Year's Resolutions for Success in Math!

Dec 30, 2019 | Cave Creek

No matter what time of the year it is, there is no better time to make great choices about your kids' math learning than NOW! Improving and succeeding in math is not just dependent on the child - parents have a large role to play to! We always say this: parents who math with their children instill a sense of love and confidence in math and success in math. 

We've got 5 New Year's Math Resolutions for Kids and for Parents each. These are simple things that can be done on a daily or weekly basis to help build confidence in math. 

Parents: your biggest challenge will be to put aside your deeply ingrained anxieties about math (if you have them). Your children see your anxiety and reflect it, whether they actually feel the same way about math or not. Eventually, those feelings will reflect reality. If your children see you overcome your own anxieties, they'll be better able to overcome theirs as well!

However, most of them are so easy, you'll barely have to think about them. And some are so much fun, you'll wonder why you haven't done them before!

 

5 Math Resolutions for Kids

1. Ask at least one question a week in your math class! It's OK to say you don't understand something. Chances are, others in the class feel the same way. So raise your hand and ask!

2. Do your math homework first. If math is a struggle for you, you may be tempted to put it off and focus on other subjects first. Do your math homework first, while your brain is still fresh. This will give you better results than waiting until you're tired. 

3. DOUBLE-CHECK your answers! I tell students this all the time. Double-check your answers, whether it's a homework assignment or a math test. Don't lose points on silly mistakes! It's one thing if you don't know how to do it; it's entirely another thing to lose points on a problem you know how to do. Long division is such an easy place to make simple calculation errors. Often you know how to do the long division and you do it correctly. But at some point, everyone makes a subtraction or multiplication error in the middle. So check your work and take your points back. 

4. Read a fun math book! Good books are a painless way to soak up some knowledge, including math! Here's a list of 30 fun math books for all ages! You're sure to find one you love!

5. Join a math club or participate in a math competition! Take math out of the classroom! A social realm is a great place to make math fun and to become better at it! If you're interested in a math competition, check with your math teacher or find out from Mathnasium! This year, we're hosting the 2019 Math Kangaroo International Competition. Mathnasium also has a math competition called the Trimathlon!

 

5 Math Resolutions for Parents

1. Ask your child at least one math-related question every day. You can do this while shopping in the grocery store! Calculate a discount, unit prices, or which is the better buy. There are so many opportunities here. You can also ask logic riddles around the dinner table or just ask them about their math class that day. If you're looking for math word problems, make sure to check here every Wednesday for our weekly word problem challenges!

2. Concepts, concepts, concepts. Focus on teaching concepts, not just asking for straight answers. A key to knowing if someone really understands a concept is if they can explain it to someone else. Don't just ask "What's the answer?", ask instead, "How would you solve that?" or "Why are you using that formula here?" It doesn't matter if they're right or wrong. Ask "why??"

3. Play games with the family that include math! This one is fun. Games that include money are great: Monopoly or The Game of Life. Even math-specific games are great, such as Four-Way Countdown (kids love this game), Connect Four, or chess, which are fun for the whole family! And don't forget about the family road trip games!

4. Help your child with time management. Kids with heavy after-school schedules are bound to get stressed out and all of their grades - including math - will suffer. Help your child prioritize their tasks so they can study, do their homework, and participate in their activities without burning out or feeling rushed. 

5. Keep a positive attitude about math! This is tough, and we understand. Parents who feel they've had trouble with math in the past can pass their anxiety on to their children. You don't have to talk about how much you love math if it isn't true, but avoid expressing negative thoughts and feelings and save your kids a lot of stress and insecurity.

And of course, the best way to improve your child's skills and scores in math in 2019 is to 

6. Take your child to Mathnasium of Cave Creek for a no-obligation Risk-Free Assessment!

 

 

Call us at (602) 786-8341 or email us at [email protected] 

Schedule your RISK-FREE Assessment Below!

 

We wish you all the best for a happy, healthy, joyful, and anxiety-free math in the new year!

 

 

 

Let's Get Started and Make this School Year a TRANSFORMATIONAL one!

NEXT: Visit our Teaching Methods page or Promotions page or check out our Newsblog for past Word Problem Wednesdays!

 
 

Math tutors near

Could not find Center, try again