Math is a great field of study because of all its applications in the world – from accounting to big data science. But it may take some extra inspiration for kids to become confident and adept with math. Getting hooked on math at an early age will set your child up to use it as a lifetime skill in almost any profession they choose. So, let’s review some tricks of the trade for immersing your family in math in ways that are too exciting to pass up.
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Building Toys
Anyone who has built a LEGO sculpture, played with magnetic tiles, designed a marble run, or even just stacked blocks has been engaged in math. Think about the calculations that go into each of these challenges, for example how many magnetic tiles form a circle or what slope causes a marble to roll to the bottom most effectively. A plethora of toys challenge kids to put their math thinking caps.
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Traditional Games
Don’t forget that people have always loved playing games that have some quantitative aspect. In checkers, you have to calculate the number of jumps and angles that will give your piece the best advantage. In chess, where each piece follows a different rubric for movement, your brain is making sophisticated spatial calculations. A deck of cards is a set of 13 x 4 that gets parsed out mathematically when you play a kids math learning games.
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Music
Studies have shown that the practices of music and math occupy some similar places in the brain. It’s not, therefore, surprising, that math talent tens to show up along with musical talent. Take advantage of the synergy by cultivating them both in your kid. Music lessons are wonderful for counting, timing, and spatial skills and may also be an entry for some kids into getting interested in math.
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Home Projects
Inviting your kids to participate in home repair projects is not only another pair of hands, but also an opportunity to discuss and apply math. Whether you’re deciding how many screws to put in a plank at what intervals or what sized curtain you need on a window, you’ll be putting your math skills to work. Home repair inevitably requires counting, measuring, estimating volumes, spacing, and figuring out percentages. And cooking is mathematical as well; engage your kid in the measurements needed to make their favorite foods!
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Going Digital with Math
Another valuable way to get kids doing math at home is digital immersion. Kids Academy offers all kinds of easy math worksheets and kids math learning games that are fun and well as skill-building. Online math games are the digital equivalent of physical games like chess and checkers. They elicit logical thinking and calculating. If you find your kid addicted to a digital math game, be assured that they are learning valuable skills.
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Everyday Math Conversation
Just including math in your everyday activities and interactions with your child will help cultivate their inner math genius. Whether you are counting sidewalk squares as you walk to the park, seeing how many slices are in a large pizza, or discussing miles/hour on speed limit signs, you are engaging in math conversation. The more interest you show in the math that defines the world around you, the more your child will absorb.
