Parent-Child Math Engagement

One of the most asked questions of math teachers by parents is how they can be a guiding force for their child on the road to math excellence.  Many understand the importance of parental involvement.  It’s most commonly demonstrated as children reading to parents where parents provide assistance with pronunciation and comprehension.  This isn’t solely done at home with a book, but this engagement can oft times be found with kids reading signs at zoos and museums, menus at restaurants, magazine covers in the grocery store check-out aisle and beyond.  The goal should be to make parent-child engagement with math as easy and seamless as it is with reading.. 

Math is ubiquitous; therefore, opportunities for parents to engage their children abound.  Gas stations, grocery stores, athletic practices, in the car, on public transportation and in the kitchen are just a few spaces where mental math can be used to build and strengthen skills.   

This week’s challenge to parents is to engage in mental math activities with your child during daily tasks.  If all else fails, drill addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.  

Be sure to share below or on our Facebook page ways in which you engaged your child in math! 

-Ms. Harris