Every other child has to struggle to get the right math answers. Math is difficult for most children. However, there are proven ways to help children overcome difficulties in math.

Prepare yourself early on. Try to start math learning as early as possible. Your child may be a math wiz, he just might be one of the many whose waterloo is math, or he may be somewhere in between. The earlier you know how he fares in math, the easier it will be for you. Kids good in math may only need encouraging and regular practice. On the other hand, those who are struggling will need more than that.

Maintain a positive attitude about math. Many parents hate math. If you breed this contempt against the subject, it is very likely that your child will harbor the same attitude. Try to avoid expressing this by saying how you have always flunked in math, or you have never really liked it. Instead, encourage your child to work hard and be persistent when he encounters difficult math problems. Appreciate his efforts, whether or not he get the right math answers as expected. Share his excitement when he solves a challenging problem or finally understands a math concept.

Make math an interesting, everyday routine. It is important to let your child understand the importance of math, especially in their everyday life. Point out situations where he would be likely to use math. You can start with counting plates, to measuring ingredients to making purchases at the grocery. Try to play educational games and puzzles which involve the use of math. Better yet, try to do math problems and find the answers together just for fun.

Teach him to work independently. It is very important for your child to learn to work independently especially in math. If your child does not have the genes that math wizards do, diligence will be his best shot. He should learn to persevere on his own. This will prepare him for time-consuming and challenging math problems he will surely encounter.

Instill the right mathematical reasoning. Getting at the right math answers involve a sequence of steps. If your child knows these steps by heart, there is no reason not to arrive at the right answer. The steps involve:

Knowing what information is given.

Determining what information is being asked.

Thinking of a way to get the information being asked from what is given.

Translating the problem into a mathematical equation.

Solving then checking if the answer makes sense.

It is important that you instill the virtue of reasoning and understanding more than memorizing. You should encourage him to give his own explanation of the problem. Ask him what his thoughts are on how to solve. Listen well, and comment whether or not it makes sense. Make every problem he encounters an opportunity for your child to learn something new.

Lastly, never forget to practice. As mentioned before, diligence is a very important key that will help your child breeze through each problem with the right math answers.




By: Robert Duval