Although we often think of math as something you do alone, doing math together is a great way for kids to practice math skills, discover new concepts, and develop positive attitudes about math and learning.
Shapes and numbers are everywhere around us- point them out to your child and talk about them:
“Look at how each window pane is a rectangle! There are four rectangles in that window.”
You can also share ideas about math, such as talking about you and your child’s favorite shapes or numbers:
“I love triangles because they always have exactly three sides, but can be different shapes and sizes.”
Kids like to think about numbers, shapes, and patterns, and they also like to help figure out problems.
You can support this by pointing out the math in activities they already love:
“I wonder if your wooden blocks or your Legos weigh more - how could we figure that out?
“Look at this pattern in the flowers you drew - blue, red, blue, red!”
If your child asks for your help with a math problem or asks you a question about math, instead of giving them the answer, help them figure it out themselves:
“What do you think?”
“How could we figure that out together?”
We know parents and families are busy, but you can do math during other activities or parts of your daily routine, like walking home from school or getting ready for bed.
