How to make math fun for kids ages 8-12

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Is math a dreaded bailiwick at your business firm? Here'southward how to make math fun!

$Make math fun with these math activities for third grade and up!$

(This postal service contains chapter links.)

So.

Math homework.

How do those two words brand you feel? More of import, how practice they brand your kid feel?

For many children, their feelings about math change right around fifth grade. It's either overwhelmingly difficult, or frustratingly irksome. What's a parent to do?

Starting time, banish "I'chiliad non good at math" from your family's vocabulary. Your child doesn't say it. And you don't say information technology, even if you experience it's true.

Expect that homework volition be done, and keep your comments positive. If homework time is becoming tense, seek communication from your child'due south teacher.

Above all, accept fun with math apart from homework!

Your job is to take hold of teachable moments as they happen, listen to your child's questions, ask some of your ain, and and learn right along with him.

Think of yourself equally your kid'southward math cheerleader.

How to brand math fun for kids ages 8-12

1.Play math games.

You already know almost the old stand up-bys like Checkers and Battleship. But have you heard of Colorku and Yamslam? Browse What Do We Do All Day's list of math gifts for kids in uncomplicated schoolhouse. (Meliorate withal, follow her blog! She often shares new games her family has discovered.)

2. Take a field trip.

Do you have a math or science museum nearby? Without guidance, your kid might hop from i station to another and get very little out of the experience. Be certain to slow down and explore exhibits together.

Do some research and find out if any local factories give tours. Talk to the tour guide about how math is used to blueprint and manufacture the product.

3. Try not to drill your child on math content.

Permit's face it. Mindless repetition is boring.

Yeah, I know. Your child has those math cards to larn. Even flash cards don't accept to be painful! I recently shared over 25 fun ways to learn math facts. Go bank check it out!

4. Aid your children meet the purpose of math.

Make math fun with these math activities for third grade and up!

Let them see you calculate gas mileage, determine the best buy at the grocery shop, and balance the family budget. When your kids come across your interest in math (and enjoyment of it, hint, hint), they'll come across its value.

5. Teach your kid to manage money.

Give your child a ledger to tape income and expenses, and help him learn to manage his birthday coin or allowance. If he wants to borrow from you, help him calculate the interest.

half-dozen. Take your child'southward interests into account.

Math is related to most every interest. Hither are simply a few!

Is your kid a baseball fan? Record statistics. Summate batting averages.

Is your child into fashion? Visit a cloth store and calculate the cost of materials to create a dream design.

If your child is into computers, find a beginner's coding class.

Building is your child'due south affair? Blueprint and build a complex construction.

7. Ask thoughtful math questions.

Are y'all waiting in the medico's role? Waiting for your meal to arrive? Sitting on the sidelines waiting for a sibling's game to start? Resist the temptation to cheque your phone or get out the iPad for some easy amusement. It's the perfect time to talk about math!

"Do you think ane/two or 3/4 of a pizza is bigger?" Draw a picture on a napkin.

"Look at that score. Our team has 14 points. What does the 1 mean in 14?"

"About how many people are in this packed auditorium?"

"If nosotros've used one-half a tank of gas, when should we refuel?"

"This package of 12 oz is $2.49. This parcel of xvi oz is $2.lxx. Which one is a amend deal?"

Make math fun with these math activities for third grade and up!

"This coupon gives us 15% off our full bill. How much will we relieve if our bill is $75?"

For a huge multifariousness of math questions for all ages, cheque out the archetype book Family Math.

8. Celebrate the birthdays of famous mathematicians and talk virtually their accomplishments.

Okay, I may have lost you on this i. Wake up, at present, and hear me out. There actually are some fascinating stories out there! Similar Susie Johnson McAfee, a brilliant daughter of former slaves who couldn't become a instructor considering the examiner "lost" her spelling newspaper and charged her father a huge sum to find it. Instead of condign a instructor, McAfee taught her own eight children, v of whom received degrees in mathematics. Check out the book Mathematicians Are People Too (and its sequel, book 2).

9. Model persistence and enjoyment of math.

When my computer is giving me trouble, I tend to shut down. I'thou frustrated, troubled, and quite sure it'south the stop of the world! On the other hand, my husband calmly sits down and tries many unlike things until he solves the problem. I think he actually enjoys the claiming.

That'south the way all of usa should be about math. It's simply a trouble to be solved. There is an answer. Patience (and sometimes outside help!) will get you in that location. "Fun" and "easy" are not necessarily the aforementioned thing. Retrieve that the challenge of math is what makes it fun!

ten. Read some incredible math picture books.

What Exercise Nosotros Do All Day has been sharing a fabled book list with each of my math appreciation posts. Check out this week's!

$Make math fun with these math activities for third grade and up!$