Methods to help children learn math easily

Parents can help their children understand math by talking about numbers and calculations used in everyday life, to prepare them to learn skills and concepts in the classroom, according to an educator. mathematics at the University of Arkansas.

Research shows that most children have the potential to learn to count before going to school.Math educator Laura Kent advises parents whose children are going to kindergarten to talk about counting and perhaps simple addition and subtraction.It is also important to learn to recognize numbers.

'Much of the initial skill with numbers is based on counting,' Kent said. 'A child who can count can begin to find solutions to simple word problems.'

Once the child learns kindergarten, the teacher will build this knowledge base and expand the child's math skills.Kent suggested that parents can reinforce children's understanding by finding examples when they naturally appear.

'Parents can start asking their children questions about counting while reading comics, like' how many dogs on this page? or by asking children to bring 4 spoons to set the table, ' Kent said. 'Then parents can come forward to ask more questions like' I have five cars. If you give me two more, how many will I have? '

Often girls like to tell stories about playing with dolls or stuffed animals, and Kent advises parents to ask girls the same numbering questions about their game.Girls can tell their parents how many horses they play with or how many dolls they have imagined.

Besides talking about numbers, Kent advised parents to think about their toys for their children.'Parents should let both their sons and daughters use manufactured toys like Lego to help them build spatial visualization skills,' Kent said.

For older children who have studied math in elementary school , Kent advises asking kids math questions in their heads. Shopping is an opportunity to calculate. 'The biggest flaw I have seen in elementary school children involves estimating or connecting numbers,' Kent said. 'If green beans cost 76 cents per box, how much can a child estimate for five boxes?'

She suggested that calculation tips, taxes and summer discounts are opportunities for children to learn computational fluency - the ability to work flexibly with numbers.'If your child has completed 5th grade, you can ask them to charge you a discount in the store using the 10% method,' Kent said.

To illustrate the 10% method, Ms. Kent used an example of a discount bathing suit.If the outfit initially costs $ 45 and now gets a 30% discount, then the child who has completed 5th grade will be able to calculate that 10% will be $ 4.50.After that, the price is reduced by 20% to $ 9.00 and 30% will be $ 13.50.

'Happily, fluency in calculations from day to day will help children understand the problems on the field and understand if the solution is reasonable,'

In addition, Ms. Kent also suggested that parents should ask children to explain how they have the answers.'Counting by hand is also fine' .

From working with elementary school teachers, Ms. Kent said there is another area where parents need to discuss with their children before going to school - that's money.'Children need to be able to recognize banknotes and coins and know how much paper and coins are equal to a certain amount. That's another way to think about numbers. '

Thanh Van

According to University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Dong Nai Department of Science and Technology