How can I get my child to like math when I don’t like it myself? - Part 1

Introduction: "I hate math!" Two angry little eyes staring at you accusingly with that sulking face. Sounds familiar? Many parents will agree that it is a wonderful experience to cuddle up in bed with their child and a good book. But few will say the same about pages of math problems. If you want to get your child to like math, it is important to foster a positive attitude about math at home, then you can help them children learn and like math at school.
Math Is Everywhere!

We may not recognize but math is everywhere. It is because it doesn't look like the math we did in school. We do not see fractions or pie charts or graphs or even Calculus around at all. Math in the world around us is sometimes invisible. But math is always present in our world, in the workplace or in life in general.

You may ask yourself, "How is math everywhere in my life? I'm not an accountant or an engineer or a math teacher!" You must realize that Math is in your life from the time you wake until the time you go to sleep. You are using math each time you set your alarm, buy groceries, count discounts, mix some baby's formula, keep score or time at a football match, decide what type of shoe to buy, or wrap some present. You must have asked yourself before, "Is this the correct change?" or "Do I have enough gas to drive 50 miles?" or "Did I pack enough sandwiches for my children's lunch?" Math is all this and so much more.

How Do You Feel About Math?

Your feelings will have an impact on how your children think about math and themselves as mathematicians. Take a few minutes to answer these questions:

1. Did you like math in school?
2. Do you think anyone can learn math?
3. Do you find math easy?
4. Do you think of math as valuable in everyday life?
5. Do you believe that all jobs today require some math skills?

If you answer "yes" to most of these questions, then you are probably encouraging your child to think mathematically.


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By Dr Tuition
Published: 5/4/2004
 
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