New Year Math Crush

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a great holiday season and got to spend time with family and friends doing whatever tradition or non-tradition you planned. Now that the hustle and bustle of the season is coming to an end, it’s time to set some resolutions for 2020. While the word “resolution” might make you cringe because of past resolutions broken, or too much pressure, or the idea of having to follow through, it really is important to set goals. It doesn’t have to be just a year to year thing, as in you can only start goal setting when a new year rolls around, but striving to be better and push yourself and/or discipline yourself in some sort of way is important for self-accomplishment. It proves that you are mentally strong and you can finish things you set out to go after. 

If you think about athletes, scholars, business owners, musicians and many more people who are happy and successful in their craft, they had to be goal setters. Take an athlete, for instance, whose desire is to make it past the Olympic trials into the Olympics. There is no doubt a certain amount of natural talent that has to be present to even make it to the Olympic trials, but there is also a strict training regiment and diet that accompanies talent. In order to make it to the Olympics, that athlete must outcompete most other athletes, which requires setting goals of measured progress monthly, weekly and daily. They likely involve their lives around meeting goals. 

Resolutions and goal setting are not just for adults. Teaching kids to set goals and work to accomplish them gives them a sense of direction, work ethic and drive and the new year is a great time to sit down with them and review what they want to set out to accomplish in 2020. By taking time to go over your child’s resolutions, you might find that you can better understand what is important to them, where they feel insecure and what they might need support in. Hile 

5 New Year’s Math Resolutions for Kids

Ask at least one question a week in a math class. Some kids are shy, while others are more extroverted and we realize that. But there’s a motto that says “do one thing every day that scares you.” The motto isn’t meant to mean do something dangerous or reckless. It’s more like so something outside of your comfort zone. Every day might be excessive, but if your child has questions about math that they are bringing to you, encourage them to ask some of those questions while they’re in class. They will be challenging themselves and building confidence at the same time and chances are, they will be helping other students by answering questions they might have, too.

Read a book that includes math. Let’s talk about bang for the buck – reading while learning about math is like practicing 2 subjects at once. At the same time, reading books where math is a large part of the plot or focal to the story is a way for your student to immerse yourself in math without feeling like you’re practicing math. 

Do homework first. When kids get home from school, they’re often tired and hungry. They’re been in school all day, navigating academic, physical and social waters and they might need a small break. Taking a small break for them to sit down, eat a snack and drink some water can be helpful for them to recuperate, but shortly after they get home, before play, they should set a goal to complete their homework. There are a couple reasons for this. First, getting schoolwork done, especially if your student is struggling, is showing them that it is important and priority. Second, they are fresh out of school and just returning from what they learned when they get home. They then might remember more of what was taught that day to be able to apply it to homework. After homework, they could use some well-deserved play and dinner!

Join a math club. Math clubs are a simple way to make math fun, especially if your child has friends that are in math clubs. They bring a social aspect to math and sometimes a competitive one, which can bring out the best in some kids. They also can encourage your child to teach and receive math concepts from other students. It can be beneficial for kids to learn from other kids, as they have a way of breaking concepts down in adolescent terminology.  

If your child is reluctant to set any goals surrounding math and possibly even gets squeamish thinking about math, it’s time to reach out to us at Mathnasium of Cherry Hills. We focus on making sure kids start with the basics of number sense and numerical fluency, and we build them up with math from there. Call us today to schedule an assessment!