Whether they’re whizzes or--well--not, parents can still help their children have a positive attitude toward tough subjects.
How can parents help their children succeed in math? Here are some tips:
- Help your child to see that he can be a problem solver: investigating, exploring, asking questions, finding different ways to solve problems.
- Encourage him to show his work, so he and his teacher--and you--can figure out what he did wrong or well. Some high school math teachers will give partial credit for showing work, if the teacher can see that the thinking process was correct.
- Ask his teacher: Does he participate in math class? Does he volunteer answers? What does he struggle with the most? Could he do better in class if he were sitting in a different place? (Maybe he is distracted!)
- Expect your child to do well. Praise her for good grades, and encourage her to figure out how to correct the problems she got wrong, so she learns from her mistakes.
- Play games that use math. Even though it may take longer, let your child keep score or count the money in Monopoly.
- When eating dinner at a restaurant, allow your older child (sixth grade and up) to figure out the total and the tip.
- Point out just how many jobs require math skills. Many teen-agers argue that they don’t need math because they’ll never use it.