Maths is all around us
Maths is essentially about patterns and discovering these patterns in the world around us. Children will love to play with patterns and numbers, shapes and sorting and you can help with this by playing games that encourage and develop their mathematical thinking.
You may be worried that the Maths your child is doing is different to the Maths you learnt while you were at school but you will find some support below for doing Mathematical things with your child.
You may be worried that the Maths your child is doing is different to the Maths you learnt while you were at school but you will find some support below for doing Mathematical things with your child.
Maths in your home
Look for ways to explore Maths in the home - point out shapes, patterns and numbers when they occur. Also think about:
- Songs that you sing that have Mathematical ideas or concepts
- Games using cards, dice, counters or Maths ideas e.g. playing shops
- Cooking using amounts, quantities and fractions
- DIY and crafts are all about measure, estimation, approximation, shapes
- Helping out e.g. setting the table, sorting the laundry, gardening, putting away toys
Maths out and about
Look for ways to explore Maths in your local environment - point out shapes, patterns and numbers when they occur. Also think about:
- Patterns in buildings, pavements, symmetry, angles, shapes
- Shopping is a great way to explore amounts, prices, approximation, estimation
- Counting games or songs when travelling help both children learn and pass the time - you can also play number or shape bingo
Remember When You Were Very Young
It will help to consider some things adults tend to take for granted. It's easier to be patient with children when we remember how much they don't know. Here are a few concepts we adults know so well that we forget sometimes we ever had to learn them:
Imagine how you would feel if you were trying to learn numbers in a new language - this is how your child is feeling.
- That we need to learn that symbols for letters and the symbols for numbers are different
- That the numbers from 11 to 19 are a bit odd in the way they work and are hard to learn
- That words in mathematics can be the same as everyday words but mean different things (e.g. volume or take away)
Imagine how you would feel if you were trying to learn numbers in a new language - this is how your child is feeling.
Some useful links
Here are some links to support parents and helpers at home.
Links for children to access maths games and activites can be found on the Curriculum link at the top of this page.
- Doing Mathematics with Your Child - http://www.math.com/parents/articles/domath.html
- How to help your child develop basic learning skills at primary school.
Links for children to access maths games and activites can be found on the Curriculum link at the top of this page.