For many people, of all ages and generations, mathematics is a veritable pet peeve. And, unfortunately, it is very common for the fear of mathematics to be passed on from parents to their children.
Know the origins of trauma
Although some may think the term “trauma” is an overstatement, it is no less true that many children experience the symptoms of a real trauma when it’s about this subject. Whether it is a blockage, a deep fear for the teacher or the subject leading to a hatred for both, or an inability to do the homework correctly, there are many facts that allow us to know that your child does not hang with this material.
To help him overcome this, it is essential to consider the important role that parents and educators play in the thought system of children. Since parents directly influence children, it is necessary first of all not to send bad messages to children. Examples ? “You have to work harder in math”, “it’s a difficult subject”, “you have to learn to calculate faster and give the right answer”, etc.
Why are these messages harmful to children?
Although well-intentioned, such messages naturally lead the child to think that mathematics is difficult. Therefore, even if your child could be a real mathematician, he/she will be blocked by the negative information that you transmit to him/her from childhood.
The educators also have their role to play to prevent children, without even knowing math, from becoming suspicious. For this, educators should present the material in a completely different way than expecting a correct and quick answer.
For this, the ideal would be to grant more importance to the reasoning of the learners. To listen to them on the way in which they arrived at a result, even false, to better be able to correct them.
In other words, it’s about instilling in children the process of finding the correct answer. Instead of doing “by heart”, children would develop their reasoning skills.
What to do to develop a love of math in children?
For your children to make peace with mathematics, they should see it less as a difficult and painful subject.
To do this, you can start having your children play games involving numbers such as KenKen or Sudoku, this will create in them a need, a desire to find the solution while playing.
Later, you can also help your child by asking him to explain his thoughts to you through words, pictures or objects. The goal is to help your child to shape his own reasoning and, at the same time, to express and defend his ideas.
On the other hand, what is especially not to be made, it is to carry your own obsession with mathematics when you were child, on your child. In fact, growing up, many of us have made peace with numbers.
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