www.mathprepa.com

HELP! Who doesn’t need help with maths. This is not a difficult subject really. If taught the right way our children can learn to love maths as much as they do playing. Gone are the days of theoretical learning and mugging up. In this modern method, maths—figures—seemed like abstract numbers you see on paper but which just won’t go into the head. Or even if they do, they don’t know what to do there!

This is the challenge, to bring maths out of the classroom and into the playful world of children. Come to think of it, most subjects lose their excitement because learning is contained only in schools and educational institutes. Children need to be taught that learning is a part of life. Learning opens up a world waiting to be discovered. Children, in all stages of life, need to be encouraged, to be curious, to find answers, to use their brains and to apply knowledge. When teachers bring together real life with text book knowledge, education will truly begin. After all they will need a grasp of maths to work out things like life insurance or Bootsversicherung later in life.

If your child needs help in maths don’t run immediately to a tutor. Don’t think that your child is not as smart as others. The first thing you should do is try and get him excited about the subject. Most children do not perform because either they are too bored or because they are not motivated enough. I do not believe there is anything like a stupid child. Each child is intelligent in his/her own way. It is only because we want to make our children like the smartest or most intelligent child that we start thinking like this. We think in relative terms. But each child is uniquely created by God and gifted. Each child must be encouraged to use the intelligence that God has given him/her to the maximum.

Find creative ways to make the subject interesting to your child. Once interest is created, you will see the difference in your child. He will start applying his mind to think for himself and discover the world of maths all around him.

Do not spoon feed your child with the facts. Encourage him to discover the answers for himself. Ask him/her questions. Get him to think. Teaching your child to think for himself is probably the best gift you can give him. Each child will have his own specific hurdles – recognize these and be gentle as you help him to understand what he finds so hard to understand.

Maths is learnt well with practice, practice and more practice. Give him practice until he is confident enough to solve these problems on his own. Practice is what will help him to have a firm grasp and grounding in each of the maths fields, whether it is the basics of additions, multiplication or more advanced maths like algebra and trigonometry.

There are plenty of helps found on the website to give you ideas on how to encourage your child to have interest in maths. There are educational DVDs too, which will help your child to discover and understand to apply his/her learning in the subject. These DVDs are creatively made and designed specifically for every age group. Your child will benefit from these. Here’s an idea for a fun group-learning experience. Invite some of your child’s friends to watch the DVD together and have an interesting game time at the end which will be centered on what has just been taught.

Take time to sit with your child every day and open up the world of maths to him. In the olden days learning was centered from home, and the mother played a tremendous and important part in educating her child. In today’s world, the focus has shifted to schools and other educational institutes, or even tutors. And yet, indirectly it is the parents who influence their children the most. Make the most of it – be your child’s parent and teacher! These two roles are not separate.