5 Tips For Math At Home To Help Children Build Confidence

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Lana from Parent Teacher Mode!

Parent Teacher Mode created the Stay Sharp and Stay Sharp Jr. Books which gives children the opportunity to build confidence using their school-learned math strategies at home.

Stay Sharp and Stay Sharp Jr. Books

These summer workbooks are built to give parents peace of mind when it comes to their child’s math education (pre-K through 8th grade). All of the workbooks are designed and written by experienced and licensed educators. Children love that it’s a REVIEW of their Common Core Standards and that they are able to go into their next school year with confidence. 💪

How it all began…

Parent Teacher Mode all started with the idea to connect parents with content to help their kids in math… without being experts in math themselves. (Whew! Thank goodness! 😅)

Lana’s sister, a teacher named Lesia, was expressing the severe “summer slide” she was seeing with her math students and the significant decrease in foundational skills, partially due to COVID-19.

Lana, also a teacher and an expert in early intervention, had the skills to do something about it.

And so, the sisters, along with two other educator friends, created the Stay Sharp and Stay Sharp Jr. Books — a brilliant way of helping children remember and refine critical math skills over the summer!

Today, Lana and Lesia are sharing tips and easy-to-incorporate examples with us to help children build confidence using their school-learned math strategies at home. Read on!

5 tips to help children build confidence With math at home, By Parent Teacher Mode

1. Talk real life math at home

Math is all around us. Try to start talking about it more!

For example, try chatting about:

  • Shapes while building a tower

  • Fractions when cooking

  • Money while purchasing groceries with your child

Parents are always told to “read, read, read” with their kids – and while reading IS important, parents rarely talk about math with their children!

2. Allow chances for problem-solving

Foundational skills are built before kids even get to school. So let your child be part of “figuring it out”. Kids of all ages face problems and challenges every day. By allowing children to problem-solve, they will become more confident and independent.

For example, you can help foster independence by:

  • Allowing your child to pay for a small toy at the store

  • Counting how many more pieces they need to complete a puzzle

And remember, it is OKAY to let your child become frustrated during certain tasks. This allows time for the child to process and develop important problem-solving skills.

3. Embrace taking chances

Build opportunities into your child’s day to take chances with their skills.

Let your child:

  • Try to follow a simple recipe

  • Build a train track that takes over the living room

  • Create a budget for their allowance

It’s important for kids to see that taking chances is okay — even if it doesn’t turn out exactly how they hoped it would!

So, let your children see that you make mistakes, too. You’re only human!

4. Inspire them to be lifelong learners

Find out their interests and run with it. Learn together!

For example:

  • Learn to count to 20 in a new language

  • Visit a new museum

  • Plan a trip together

  • Study the stats of a professional sports team that you both follow

  • Use new ingredients for a recipe you have never tried

The takeaway? Learning never stops and doesn’t only happen in school. Learning makes us feel good and is something that we can take pride in.

5. Stay positive and celebrate hard work

You never want your child to think they aren’t a “math person” so don’t put that image in their minds. Encourage them to show their best effort and talk about how far they have come.

At Parent Teacher Mode, we’re always in favor of special celebrations! Set obtainable goals for things like learning math facts or recalling fact families and get their input on how you can celebrate together when their goal is achieved.

Thank you so much to Lana from Parent Teacher Mode for sharing these tips! If you’re interested in learning more or purchasing the Stay Sharp and Stay Sharp Jr. Books workbooks, visit www.parentteachermode.com! I’ll include some additional info below. Calc-u-later! 👋

XOXO, Haylie (& Lana & Lesia )

The Stay Sharp and Stay Sharp Jr. Books:

  • Are designed for kiddos in school grades pre-K through 8

  • Are teacher and parent created

  • Are common core aligned

  • Include QR codes to help when students get stuck 

  • Deliver short bursts of practice - takes as little as 5 minutes a day to review skills

  • Gives parents insight as to what is being taught in school so you’re not intimidated by “new math” 

  • Helps to prevent summer slide

  • Boosts confidence in students and empowers parents with knowledge

For The Little OnesHaylie Gulaseystay sharp, how to avoid summer slide, kids math tips, math for kids, parent teacher mode, math workbooks for kids, math tips for kidsComment