“Coding for kids should be introduced as young as possible. Not only does it teach skills that will be immediately relevant in tomorrow’s job market, it helps strengthen skills in a number of corollary areas such as math, reading, spelling, and problem-solving. Later on it will help kids develop skills in geometry, trigonometry, statistics, data analysis, physics, and more.” according to David Dodge, CEO of Codakid
Children develop a negative attitude towards mathematics from an early age. This attitude translates into negative performances as they advance in their academic life. For example, did you know that only nine percent of American students scored highly in top mathematical levels? Here are 7 techniques to teach your child to love math.
- Turn It into a Game
The human mind absorbs information more quickly when someone presents it interestingly and excitingly. In fact, it will look for new things to learn on the same subject because it finds it intriguing. The same thing happens with your children. Presenting mathematics to them in fun and entertaining ways ignites their passion for math. You can do that through board games, school cards, and puzzles among other things. It will be like a game to them, but they will be learning as well.
- How Coding Can Improve Math Performance for Kids
People learn to code by developing computational skills including the development of algorithms to facilitate specific processes. These skills are iterative at first, but they grow in problem-solving exercises as the coding process continues. Interestingly, people require these same skills in mathematics. Teaching them to children at an early age means that they can practice these skills in learning mathematics. More specifically, they will employ critical thinking methods when trying to solve math problems as they do when trying to create and perfect their programming codes.
With this in mind, if you would like to learn more about coding, or if your children are in college or preparing for university, you might want to consider doing some research into a coding school and bootcamp like Bay Valley Tech. Coding skills are in demand all over the world and therefore knowledge of coding is a real asset. You are never too young or too old to pick up coding so do not be afraid to research a few different coding tuition options such as the fantastic range of courses offered by Bay Valley Tech online.
- Take Advantage of Technology
Children have mobile devices in contemporary devices. Some of them are even active on social media sites after they reach the required age to open such accounts. Turn these devices into learning opportunities for your children. For example, download mathematical apps for them. These apps should be arithmetic games they can play on their phone or tutorials that teach specific concepts in math. That way, they will learn continuously instead of wasting their time chatting on devices.
- Apply It to Everyday Activities
Most children evaluate things based on their usefulness to them. Unfortunately, many of them fail to see the need for learning mathematics when computerization is at an advanced level in contemporary society. You have to introduce them to applications of mathematics beyond computerized systems. Examples include calculating measurements in cooking and baking or budgeting for grocery items or toys. Others are countdowns to their favorite holidays or ways of spending their allowances. Mathematics will intrigue them because they can apply them to the exciting things that they do in life.
- Logic Is Critical In Learning Mathematics
Children become discouraged in mathematics when they get the wrong answers. At this point, they feel like quitting because they put their best into it and they failed at it. However, that is not the case. Logical patterns are critical in mathematics even though the answers may be wrong. Focus on these patterns and applaud your kids when they master them. It will encourage them to learn more about mathematical models. Eventually, the kids will always arrive at the right answers when they fully appreciate the logic behind them.
- Use Your Words Carefully
Children learn a lot by observing what you do and listening to what you say. Talking about how mathematics is complicated makes them believe that they cannot learn it. Telling them that they do not have to be good at math also creates complacency in them. The attitude that your spouse, older children, and relatives have on it develops in your children as well. Speak positively about mathematics and encourage your kids to learn it. They will heed your words and follow your direction.
- Talk to Your Child’s Teacher
Children learn through the combined effort of their parents and teachers. A missing link might be detrimental to the children’s capacity to absorb information. Therefore, talking to your children’s teacher is critical. Let the teacher tell you about what problems your kids are facing when trying to learn mathematics. Let him give you some advice on additional measures you can take to improve your children’s understanding of this subject. This step ensures that your kids learn mathematics in a balanced and constructive way. In other words, he will excel at it because he will receive an adequate level of support from the teacher and the parent.