How To Make Math Their Favorite Subject
"I Hate Math"
Ever heard someone say this, or perhaps you have said this yourself?
I used to say this. Like, when I was in school, there were times when I won't really understand the lesson until the exams were over. A little too late. For the report card, at least! 😁
Now that I am homeschooling my own children, I'd want them to have a totally different perspective on the subject. Numbers are fun. They should be fun.
So that's what we try to do.
There Is Math In Everything
Counting steps.
Cooking food.
Sharing food.
Buying things.
Telling Time.
And a lot more. That is why it is important, and also why I try my best to make them love the subject.
I would like them to see the real-world uses of the topics we cover, so they won't take them for granted.
So how should I teach Math?
I am not a professional teacher and sometimes most of the times I don't feel equipped to teach the subject.
I am honestly forever looking out for means to teach math in ways that my children will easily understand, and so that they will look forward for more and not "despise" the subject. They are so far loving the challenge of Math, and I love that they love it. 😍
Here are some of the things we currently do in our homeschool.
1- Learn from each other.
My kids always quiz each other.
Math problems are their "pass codes" when they need one to do one favor to another. Example, my younger ones learned addition simply by my eldest always asking them for sums when they want to go to his bed. 😅
In this video, see how he made his sister learn with him while he did his project.
2- Associate the subject with things they love.
Little Miss loves arts so we sometimes use her art materials as manipulatives. We can do lots of additions and take-aways using her crayons and paint jars.
If course, you'd realize what our next activity would be - - arts. ☺️
3- Play and Learn
Always. We love puzzles, chess, dominoes, and a lot more. There are always games to twist the brain a little and challenge their logic.
4- Supplement Learning With Video Resources
There are times when no matter how I explain, I would get a blank stare back from these children. "I do not understand what you mean," they would say. So I would find videos online and make them watch it. My eldest uses Khan Academy for his Math curriculum, which is a also a self-paced math with video instructions that make it easier for me and my son. He normally goes through the lessons by himself and just calls me out when he gets stuck with a topic and needs a bit more explanation.
5- Do It Everyday
There are subjects that we honestly do not touch on a daily basis, but Language Arts, Science and of course Math, are subjects that need to be covered everyday.
Our brains just really need that exercise everyday to keep those wires always lit up!
"I Love Math! I Love Math!"
It's like music to my ears. At least that's what I hear from my kids at his point, and I intend for them to keep that heart for Math.
So far, I am seeing good progress with them. Little Miss is getting better with her Math facts and mental math. Little Man is also catching up- loves counting up and beyond the hundreds, and doing additions too! Kuya? Oh, he's now dealing with percentages and ratios and is doing great too.
The cover photo? Well, it's not really crying over Math but she was goofing around as I scooped out her crayons from the box. Only fake tears were shed (hmm, an actress in the making?).
Apparently, I should not take all the colors out like that because she has them in proper order as indicated at the box label. 😜
Crayons must be kept in this order:
Then mommy just scooped them out like this 👇
Peace, Little Miss! Just fix them back up again. 😘
❤️Arlyn
"Math isn't hard, it's a language" teaches how you can approach kids who hate math and teach them how to do it.
Oh, I watched it and it makes sense. Janjan and gabbie can do "big" numbers math based on this. 😁
Math can be challenging indeed but sometimes coming up with creative ways to do it is beneficial. I’m starting to show our toddler basic little math like subtracting and stuff. Not sure how the higher math will go though!
True. They just have to find the fun in learning the basics and core of the subject so hopefully they cope up well with higher level math in the future.
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