Five Things You Should Tell Your Child about Math

Sometimes people can be afraid of Math and can pass that fear down to their children. A young person's beliefs drive who they become and there is no greater driver of a student's beliefs than what their parents say to them.  The words you use with your child can profoundly shape your child's feelings and beliefs about a variety of subjects. Today we are going to talk about the top five things you can say to help your son or daughter succeed at Mathematics. 

     1.  Math is beautiful! If you have trouble with this concept here are a few links.

• http://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-are-fractals
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/17/beautiful-math-equations-brain-great-art_n_4789667.html

     2.  Math is a system that is designed to make sense. Similar to a Philosophy, one idea builds on anther so we can move from 1+1=2, to 2+2=4, to 2+2+2=6 just like 2X3=6 and so forth.

     3. Math numbers and equations relate to one another.  When my daughter was very young we started talking about fact families. A fact family is four equations that use the same numbers and logically follow from one another. For example, 3+9=12, 9+3=12, 12-9=3, 12-3=9 is the set of equations that make up a fact family for 3,9, and 12, using addition and subtraction.  My children and I would make up fact families during road trips sometimes to keep us entertained.

     4. Math can be entertaining. There are several Math problems which have which are so loved they are passed down from generation to generation. Here is a version of one of our favorites:

• http://illuminations.nctm.org/BrainTeasers.aspx?id=4992

     5. There are recipes to help us do Math well. The Order of Operations tell us what part of a large equation to do first and how to follow the order to get the Math to work.  If it has been too long since your seen the Order of Operations: start with parenthesis; then exponents; multiplication or division; lastly addition or subtraction. When you need to choose one of the operations from the ors always work left to right.
Other recipes come along later.  In Math they are usually called formulas or algorithms but they are just directions on the steps to get the solution you need to a special problem.

If you would like more direction for a parent group on teaching mathematics to your child at home you can connect with Amy at @AmyFlatt1Five things to