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Undoubtedly, maths is one of the least popular subjects among students worldwide. Why it came to be dreaded is not what we are trying to address, but rather how we can reverse the effects it may have had on your child. With the right strategies, we can make maths fun. It’s just like making anything else fun to learn with the three magic ingredients of motivation, purpose, and rewards.

When trying to learn something that seems intimidating, there is a secret to grasping the concepts quickly. The first step is to get creative to make the experience fun for children and ensure the learned skills stick with them. We can start by associating new (and possibly boring) materials with things the kids know and enjoy.

The next step is to develop a learning process around the three ingredients above that make for a fun learning experience with maths. Keep these elements in mind; you will see that it makes all the difference.

5 ways to connect maths and fun.

Children are more likely to learn and be interested in something if it is related to the world around them and the goals they wish to achieve. Therefore, starting with something tangible and purposeful is an excellent way to make maths fun. Below are five ways to go about it.

1. Find maths-related concepts in the outside world

Take a break from the numbers in the books and get some fresh air outside. Walking around the neighbourhood allows your kids see and recognise various shapes and concepts.

From the hexagonal structure of beehives to the octagon shape of a stop sign, maths can be found wherever you look. Beyond that, consider the triangular shape formed by a building’s wall and its shadow and how it relates to the Pythagorean theorem.

You can further touch on the Fibonacci sequence and how you can find it in sunflower petals.

2. Teach them how to save

Saving is an essential life skill best adopted as early as possible. If your child now gets their daily or weekly allowance, it is imperative to encourage them to save, so that they can buy the items they want.

For instance, you could introduce interest and offer to put more money into their piggy bank based on how much they manage to put away. This helps them to think differently about money and promotes better spending habits.

3. Take a road trip

In these times when most people stay indoors, taking a vacation and a long car ride into nature can provide a welcome change of pace. If your family plans to hit the road sometime soon, take it as an opportunity to do fun maths activities and puzzles to pass the time.

More importantly, this can help keep your kids stay engaged with meaningful and fun activities and while keeping them from staring idly at digital screens.

For example, if you need to get to your destination by 5pm while it is still 100 kilometres away, get them to calculate what your average speed should be to get there on time, and when you should leave home.

Also, get them to consider real world disruptions and how it will affect their calculations if, for example, you get stuck for half an hour in traffic or you have to double back for 10 minutes because someone forgot something?

Look up some points of interest on your way to your destination that your children may be interested in and possibly turn them into a scavenger hunt. It is best to ditch the worksheet for a map in such exercises.

After establishing the purpose, the next step is to determine the motivation, which you can be achieved through gamification. “Gamifying” Math entails taking conventional learning methods and giving them a complete makeover to become game-like activities.

This produces tremendous results on student motivation. Remember that dull and tedious activities are counterintuitive to learning something new, and pointless practice will not prompt students to overcome challenges.

In contrast, beating levels, scoring points, learning teamwork, and being competitive incentivise kids to give it their all.

4. Embrace video games

Maths is the backbone of every video game out there. Revealing this fact to your kids may help ignite their interest in learning more about the subject. If your child is particularly into games, connecting new maths skills and the games they enjoy can be incredibly powerful.

Furthermore, it could help them set their sights on a flourishing career when they get older, like working at prominent game development companies like Epic Games or Mojang Studios.

The motivation necessary to put in the work and practice comes more naturally if your efforts ultimately lead to something you desire. Last but not least, do not forget the rewards.

Turning your mind up to 11 takes considerable effort, and the road to mastery is laden with many obstacles of trial and error. That is why rewards are indispensable to learning.

5. Get groceries for their favourite foods

Food and snacks go hand in hand with a growing child and are universal motivators. Therefore, list your child’s favourites, set aside a budget, and bring them on a grocery trip.

Once there, you could ask them to solve questions to get their preferred foods, like how much is a 15% discount on a $5.50 bag of chips?

A grocery store is chock-full of maths problems if you are creative enough. If you have a buy one, get one coupon for a 12-pack box of cookies worth $7.89, you can ask your kid what the total cost per item for two boxes is. After all, all the items have a price tag, which is filled with numbers.

Conclusion

Maths can be a daunting subject for many students, and the conventional methods of learning it will only put them further away from experiencing its wonders. However, with your help and creativity, turning things around and getting them to enjoy math is undoubtedly attainable.

Once you have cultivated their interest in the subject, make the most of your efforts by signing them up maths tuition in Singapore here at Mavis Tutorial Centre! We are committed to providing your children with the tools and knowledge they need to achieve their goals. Our dedicated full-time tutors go the extra mile to make their lessons engaging and inspiring.

If you need tuition at any level from Primary 1 to JC 2, look no further than Mavis. Contact us today to get started.