School supplies purchased, backpacks and lunches all packed. Most of us have already made it through the first week of school. Now the math homework challenge begins. But before we jump right in, let’s step back for a moment and think about a couple of things.
In recent years, two main math points seem to keep popping up in conversation. We want more kids to excel in the subject and go on to choose careers in STEM (science technology, engineering, and math) topics. However, at the same time, many parents freely admit to being terrible at math. So you’ve just said that math is important, yet success is rare. Together, these two thoughts can cause math anxiety for your child. Kids know it’s important, but begin to feel worried, and when kids worry, learning becomes harder.
Math understanding is not exclusive to an elite fleet of geniuses—virtually every child (and grown up!) has what it takes to succeed at math.
Knowing math makes life easier! Yes, math is the foundation for all STEM fields, but it is useful for ALL career paths. As an example, the clothes we buy wouldn’t fit as well or look as good if designers didn’t use math when making dress patterns.
As parents, you can set the stage for your child’s success by promoting positive, realistic attitudes about math and making your household a math-friendly home! Rotate game night to include Monopoly or Cribbage. Have your child help with cooking dinner—a great way to work on metrics.
Even if you’ve struggled with math, you can still support your child. Remind them that math isn’t “hard,” it just requires practice like everything else.
