Making math fun is what I strive for in my work with students and my own children, a tough crowd. I have two children that struggle with math, one who has a diagnosis of dyscalculia, a math learning difference. Let’s face it, math can be really boring, but very necessary in life.Here are 3 ideas to make math fun, while teaching important math skills needed for life success.
#1 Cook and bake. Double recipes, have them figure out measurements and learn math while bonding together. We started with water play, measuring cups and spoons. Even though my children are older, they appreciated this game and helped relay skills when baking came into play.
# 2 Plan a dream trip. One of the most fun activities my daughter and I did, was figuring out the costs of a trip to Universal Studios in Florida for 5 people. She yearns to see the Harry Potter attraction We calculated all the travel costs, estimated them, and used addition and multiplication to figure out the costs. I could see the wonder and curiosity on her face, a rare occurrence when it comes to math. We also explored the hotels and rides virtually while we searched for prices.
#3 Go shopping. Motivate your children to learn, by offering incentives to figuring out the best value, how much the percentage off-price would be, and how much it cost per ounce. My child couldn’t figure out how much savings she would receive for a 25% off the product. I enticed her with a book that she wanted. After much thought, she got it and the concept remained. Online shopping is good too. Choose products that your children love and have them estimate prices, costs, and change they’d receive.
Making math fun means getting creative, and being creative is fun!