Parenting Matters: Not everyone likes math

Math isn’t a subject everyone likes. Actually no subject is liked by everyone, but mathematics has more than its fair share of people who avoid it or talk negatively about it.

But you can make a difference in how your child feels about learning math.

One very important way to help your child feel positive about math is for you to feel positive. Your attitude influences how your child thinks. Your attitude shows in how frequently you bring up the subject and what you say about it.

If you are negative, he will be negative. If you have a daughter, you may be more negative speaking about math than if you have a son. If you incorporate math into your child’s daily life, he or she will be more likely to think positively about learning about math.

Help your child appreciate how math is involved in so many different ways in our daily life. I heard a little girl who was just 2 years old talking with her mother. Her mother said, “I will go first.” The little girl immediately replied, “I will go second.” Using a mathematical concept at this age was impressive. It showed that math concepts are being used and discussed even with a young, young child and, in addition, one that is a girl. That is impressive.

Math strategies

Make math fun. Board games that use counting or paper money improves a child’s understanding of math. Even talking about sports or learning about money are ways to discuss math. Even counting jelly beans or raisins is a fun activity.

Help him learn math with money. Have him keep track of how much he has to spend. Let him learn about subtracting money when he spends it. Whether you give him an allowance or he earns money by doing helpful chores, this is an important tool in learning both math and about the value of money.

As your child enters school, be prepared to praise him when he learns math concepts. Encourage him to do extra problems to solidify new math concepts. Even the computer is filled with games that make math fun to learn and fun to do. Encourage him to try and try again to solve difficult problems. You can be there to help but don’t be there to do it for him.

Practicing in math is like practicing in sports. It takes time and effort to master new skills but it is well worth it.

Ask your child to explain to you what he is doing in math. In this way you will know that different concepts are understood and clear to him.

Foundation for success

Schools are encouraging students to learn more math than they used to. Support this effort in any way you can. Talk with your child’s teacher about how you can help with whatever level of math he is learning. Let him hear you talking with Grandma about how well he is doing in math as a way of further encouraging him.

Underlying your success in helping your child do well in math is you having a positive attitude toward math at home. Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine recently found that having a positive attitude about math was connected to better function of memory in the brain (“Positive attitude toward math predicts math achievement in kids,” Stanford Medicine News Center, Jan. 24, 2018).

They found that “if you have a strong interest and self-perceived ability in math, it results in enhanced memory and more efficient engagement of the brain’s problem-solving capacities” which is impressive.

The study found that children with poor attitudes toward math rarely performed well in the subject, while those with strongly positive attitudes had a higher range of math achievement.

So once again there is strong evidence that parents make a difference. Your child needs you. You can influence his learning and especially his attitude. Encourage him. Praise him. Help him have a positive attitude. Help him believe he can be good at math even if he didn’t think he could before.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, which publishes newsletters for parents, caregivers and grandparents. Reach Martin at pmf@olypen.com.