How children can learn maths at home

One of the consequences of Covid-19 is that more and more students are learning from home. In fact, the number of children registering for home education rose by 75% in the first eight months of 2021, according to the BBC.

While health concerns certainly played a role in this shift, many parents also felt their children could learn more at home. This is certainly true, especially if parents and guardians use creative strategies to encourage knowledge acquisition.

Here are some fun and effective ways to teach maths at home.

Use games to teach addition and subtraction

You can make mathematics fun for your little ones by introducing number bonds through games.

Number bonds are an important tool in the mastery approach because they make addition and subtraction easier for your child to grasp. Games are the perfect way to help them remember these number pairs.

Have a look at our blog post about maths games. It recommends teaching kids about number bonds for 20 through a round of ‘Memory Pairs’ or ‘Collect the Cards.’

Once they’ve mastered these number bonds, they can practise addition through a game of ‘Roll the Dice.’ Finally, they can then use dice and counters to practice subtraction.

Engage kids through a maths passion project

Take learning up a notch by starting a maths-related passion project — a learning opportunity that’s creative and can be accomplished over a short period. You can heighten the engagement by providing your child with a reward for finishing the project.

One exciting maths-related project is baking, where counting and fractional measurements can be taught using everyday ingredients. Another example of a passion project is creating mobiles with origami paper crafting, which helps children understand division through paper folding. Additionally, games such as netball can be a great way to practice maths and get active at the same time.

Use visual cues to explain mathematical problems

Games and passion projects can keep your child engaged while she learns core concepts. But it’s important to have a more structured teaching strategy as well.

If you encounter a difficult mathematical problem, follow the pictorial step of the Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract framework. Using visual demonstrations or pictures will help your child make a mental connection between the objects and the problem he’s trying to solve.

Explore strategies for knowledge retention

After each learning session, try activities that will encourage your child to retain the information she’s just learned. For instance, give your child a break from screen time by doing outdoor activities that are adapted to thematic and subject-based approaches.

Another way to deepen knowledge is to keep a maths journal to reflect on lessons encountered during the day. For instance, you can ask your child to write about a maths problem he solved and to describe the strategies he used to solve it.

Now that your child is being educated at home, you can start getting creative with maths lessons. By trying these tips and tricks, it will get easier to cultivate a deeper understanding and love of maths in your child, not to mention a stronger parent-child bond.