Tag Archives: Education

Unknown's avatar Elise Rose 7:17 am on September 30, 2020
Tags: classes, Education, , , , ,   

Tips for making Math learning fun for children

Most parents in Saskatoon can understand how their kids find it difficult to deal with math. While some of us naturally find math learning fun, there are many children who might need to find ways to spice up the subject.

Math is a subject that requires good concentration, analytical skills and logical reasoning. If your child finds the subject dull and boring, it may be because they do not fully understand the core concepts.

A good math learning centre works to make math learning fun for your children so that they can understand the skills of the subject. Here are some of the ways to make the subject fun-filled and interesting:

  1. Make it a game: Whether it is an old school card or board game, a puzzle or something high-tech, many kids are drawn to learning math through games. Kids relate quickly and jump to join in the game, especially when there is an element of competition with their siblings or parents. Good math tutors make learning sessions fun by drafting a game based strategy, especially for complex and difficult topics. This motivates your child to actively participate and makes the concept easier to understand.
  1. Put screens to work for you: Kids of today’s generation love their gadgets and devices and there are umpteen numbers of apps and games to help reinforce and teach math concepts. An experienced math instructor will suggest games to make understanding the concept easier.
  1. Show them the relevance: Kids often tune out when they do not see any purpose for what they are learning. A good math instructor constantly shows them how math is useful in real life. They explain to the kids how math is helpful in daily activities like cooking and baking, checking temperatures and managing finances. The tutor might ask the child to provide an estimated expenditure for the weekly groceries in the next class along with the amount spent and saved.
  1. Get the students moving, thinking and collaborating: A good math tutor may start a session by having the student take a math test via a fun game. The game can include solving puzzles, unlocking a mystery box etc. The child gets clues that require them to use the new math concept. This process makes the entire session interesting and fun. While participating in the game, your child thinks and collaborates with the math concepts which helps them to better understand the topics.
  1. Take the interests of the child into account: An experienced math tutor will take the interests of your child into account. If your child is a fan of basketball, the tutor will engage the child by asking to record statistics, calculate shooting averages and more. This will help the child to better relate to the concept as well. Your child will take more interest in finding answers to these questions because it is related to their interests and through this fun filled assignment, your child will learn the concepts more thoroughly.
Unknown's avatar Elise Rose 8:19 am on May 13, 2020
Tags: Education, Help, , ,   

Top 6 Tips To Help With Math Homework

If you’re a parent in Saskatoon struggling to help your child with math homework, you are not alone. Many parents find it challenging to help their children with homework for a variety of reasons. It could be that children are more distracted at home or less receptive to parental involvement. It could also be that the methods of teaching many math concepts has changed over the past several years and can be different in each school district. Whatever the reason, helping your child with homework can get easier using these tips.

Here are our top 6 tips to help with online math homework for families in Saskatoon:

  1. Talk to your child. Start an open dialogue on what the assignment is about, what their teacher has asked them to complete and what they need to do to get the work done. When you find the areas of difficulty, have your child walk through their process to figure out what part of the concept or assignment isn’t resonating. At this point, it is important to remind them it’s okay not to know the answers. You want your child to feel comfortable talking about their struggles and to reduce the embarrassment they may feel in not knowing what to do
  • Adopt a Growth Mindset. Help your child to process that difficulties understanding are a part of learning and that you are there to help them figure it out together. Show them how to keep calm and overcome frustrations when they arise. Praise the efforts they make to solve their own challenges but when they reach a frustration point, encourage them to ask for help. Providing strategies to deal with failure will allow them to feel empowered even when a situation is tough to get through
  • Look for “self-directed” solutions. Prompt your child with some questions to get them looking for solutions and guidance on their own. Try some of these:

-Where should they start?

-What notes could they use?

-Have they done work like this before?

-Could you look for examples online?

  • Make it FUN. Find ways to engage your child so they actually want to tackle their homework. Sometimes when their confidence is low, no amount of solution based direction will get them feeling motivated. When you hit a roadblock like that, try using creativity and games to draw them in. Talk about how math is used in daily life and try getting out of your regular homework setting. If you’re working on fractions or measurement, do some baking. If you’re working on measurement conversions, hit the grocery store or try measuring your home. Anything that gets them thinking about math in a real life way makes it more interesting and shows why math is such a critical skill to learn.
  • Ask guiding questions…. but don’t give the answers. Resist the urge to provide the answers or the solution on how to get to the answer. Ask questions that move them in the right direction and get them thinking about how to apply the strategies they have already learned.
  • Look for outside help. If you’ve spent some time working with your child, have tried creative ways to engage them and they are still not grasping the work, it may be time to seek outside math homework help from a tutor. A qualified local tutor can assess your child’s learning style, diagnose knowledge gaps and determine which strategies will help them best. Having a tutor to help get your child back on track is a great option and it also provides the bonus of an ongoing homework support when needed.

The most important thing you can do to help your child with math homework is to maintain a positive attitude towards seeking extra help and towards math in general. Model a growth mindset and a desire to help them succeed. Building confidence can take time, but if you work together, you will get there.

Mathnasium of Saskatoon was created with your child’s best interests in mind, so if you do need to seek more help with homework, we are here for you. Check out our website for more information on the unique ways that a Mathnasium of Saskatoon instructor can be your child’s best homework ally.