“Math is useless. I don’t like Math. Why do I have to learn Math?” As a parent, you are likely to have heard these expressions from your child before. Here are some essential facts to help you explain to your child the importance of Math in everyday life and why an edge in Math today can go a long way in the future.

It’s a workout for your brain

Like any other part of our body, our brain also needs a workout. In fact, research has shown that children who know Math are able to use the brain regions associated with cognitive tasks more reliably. So, practising Math may help children improve their visual attention and decision-making skills. From everyday tasks like searching for a misplaced item in their rooms to solving puzzles and playing video games – studying Math can help them get better at a variety of activities!

It helps manage finances

From your child’s big dream of buying a supercar to his more short-term desire of buying a remote-control car, show your child that Math is necessary to plan and organise finances for purchases both big and small. Work out a simple financial plan with your child based on their allowance, expenses, and savings to buy that new toy or gadget that they have their eyes on. This simple task can help them understand the application of Math concepts and skills learnt in the classroom.

It helps with travel

Travel enriches our lives and opens our minds to new places and people. Get your child involved in planning your next family holiday, such as calculating the cost of hotel accommodation, planning the itinerary to make sure they have time for the activities they wish to enjoy, and factoring in currency exchange. Assisting with different aspects of the trip can help your child learn a lot about the importance of Math in making travel plans work out.

It helps with cooking

A basic yet necessary skill, cooking also requires knowledge of Math. From measuring ingredients to planning the quantity of food needed to feed your family or your guests, Math calculations are an important culinary skill. Planning family meals within the house, by factoring in the number of family members and the quantity of food needed, is a good example of how Math is used in everyday life. Even for their birthday parties, help your child understand how Math skills are needed to plan yummy treats for their friends or bake their delicious birthday cake.

An aid to every job

If your child thinks Math is only for school, it’s time to correct their misconception. Your child may be surprised that almost every job requires some understanding and application of Math skills. From fashion designers to event organisers, from nurses to pilots, every profession uses Math skills on a regular basis.

Problem-Solving

Through every situation in life – personal and professional – problem-solving skills are crucial to getting ahead and dealing with tough times. Math problems help us develop problem-solving skills – a lifelong lesson that helps us tackle problems in an efficient and step-by-step manner.

These are just some of the skills that Math lends to our lives. One must also remember that while languages may vary across countries, numbers remain universal. From analytical and logical abilities to numerical and quantitative skills, it is important for children to learn Math from an early age to strengthen their understanding of the concepts and enjoy learning the subject. For a unique and comprehensive Math enrichment program, check out Seriously Addictive Mathematics (S.A.M) to help your child build a strong foundation and enjoy learning Math at an early age.

In the face of a highly competitive academic environment, it is easy for children and parents alike to feel the pressure of performance cloud what could otherwise be a pleasurable learning experience. When a child sits down with a subject, their focus from the word ‘go’ is to excel at it, but the method needed forgetting there often includes faulty practices such as rote-memorisation.

Without developing a positive attitude before approaching it, even the brightest of children tend to develop a fear of the subject. This fear is one of the biggest impediments to any child reaching their fullest potential.

A child’s schooling days are the most important in their life, and it is important for them to learn earlier in life that learning is an enjoyable and fruitful lifelong journey. So then, how exactly does a so-called ’positive mindset’ really improve a child performance, and how can a parent help them achieve it?

Attitude is everything

Let us take one of the most commonly feared subjects – Math. We often see students who admit to being afraid of numbers, without even realising that all it really takes to excel at the subject is conceptual clarity and frequent practice.

While different students will undoubtedly learn at different paces, a student learning at a slightly slower pace need not fear the subject or believe they cannot excel at it the way their peers can. In order to avoid this, it is important for parents and teachers to remind the child that they need not compete with other students during the learning process itself.

For students showing a lack of interest and attention while learning, it is important to incorporate innovative and light-hearted teaching methodologies that can keep them engaged in the subject. When a student begins to look forward to going for a class, their enthusiasm will automatically translate to an increased interest and better quality performance in the subject.

Backed by research

It is a common misnomer that only quantifiable measures of intelligence (i.e., IQ) can indicate how well a child is able to perform at a subject. But IQ is not the only factor that influences a child’s performance.

A scientific study conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine has recently found an actual brain pathway that links a positive attitude toward Math to higher achievement in the subject. It was found to be connected to the better functioning of the hippocampus, which is an important memory centre in the brain, especially as a child solves arithmetic problems in Math.

The research administered standard questionnaires to 240 children aged 7 to 10, and found that even with factors such as IQ accounted for, students with a positive attitude toward math were linked to better performance in the subject. It suggested that those students who develop a strong interest and self-belief in their potential in the subject perform certifiably better at it.

The study, published on 24 January 2018in Psychological Science, also gives an explanation as to why a passionate and inspiring teacher can influence the attitude of a child towards a subject, and subsequently enhance their performance in it.

What you can do

It’s time to look beyond conventional methods of education and inculcate a passion for learning in your child. In subjects like Math, it is important to ensure that the student enjoys learning concepts, and willingly partakes of practice sessions outside of their schooling hours.

One of the ways is to ensure that your child is getting ample play time and is engaged in extracurricular activities that he/she enjoys. This prevents them from getting bored of learning. If it is enrichment you are looking for, centres such as S.A.M (Seriously Addictive Mathematics) help inculcate a positive spirit in the classroom. With innovative teaching methodologies and hands-on activities, they can help your child enjoy learning rather than resent it. When your child volunteers to go for a lesson in Math, you made the right choice.

As your child begins to show signs of learning, through interactions they experience on a daily basis, you might be mindful as a parent to give them the best learning environment possible. But just what should you do to stimulate your child’s mind? Here’s four simple methods you can try to help develop your child’s learning for a better IQ.

#1 Read to them

Part of increasing someone’s IQ is through expanding their imagination, and what better way to do this than by the power of books? Reading to your kid helps them create a world of possibilities in their mind, and this strengthens their brain muscle for better development of concepts.

Besides the simple effectiveness of verbal storytelling, enhance their learning experience with picture books. Through pictorial guidance along the way, younger ones will be better able to match words to images in their mind, which improves their IQ from an early age. Simple stories with math elements weaved into them also help to expand their abilities for both language and calculus.

Learning centres such as S.A.M (Seriously Addictive Mathematics) also provide various programmes for different aged groups with a focus on enriching knowledge through mathematics.

#2 Include mathematical topics in your interactions

Through your everyday conversations with your little one, they’re already picking up on learning elements. Take advantage of this fact and develop their brain further with mathematical information thrown in casually.

Saying sentences like “I will let you watch two cartoons at 6PM”, or “Do you want one apple or two?” firms up their understanding of different concepts. Soon enough, they will react faster to your questions, and even grow to requesting for what they want in specific quantities.

#3 Expand their horizons

Creativity plays an integral part in improving your child’s IQ, which you can still practice through your own imagination. Turn everyday objects into fun scenarios for your kid, such as making a spoon pretend to be an aeroplane while feeding them, stationery transformed into cartoon characters, or paper planes as fighter jets in the sky. Having various ways to tell stories will certainly make children more receptive to their surroundings and learn better!

#4 Let them practice what they watch

Whether it’s on traditional television or on YouTube, letting kids watch educational shows that encompass different educational topics in moderation is an easy way for them to learn. After all, didn’t most of us grow up on Sesame Street and Barney and Friends? The ages of 3 to 6 years old are vital for kids’ learning, as that’s when their brain development is at the most.

But learning from the TV isn’t sufficient either. Learners should put what they watch into practice, and a small class where they get to hone their new abilities such as counting and telling time will do them a world of favours in improving their IQ.

• Connection

A powerful source of motivation is relationships. Children are motivated to do things that bring them closer to parents or peers. When they are low in motivation, there could be underlying negative emotions. It could be feelings of being judged unfairly by an adult, or having feelings being left out in a social setting.

Having a role model can help children with their motivation too. It can be parents, or a beloved teacher. It could also be being part of a team or a peer group that inspires them to try hard.

It takes time and growth to muster intrinsic motivation, especially for mundane and tasks that are less fun. Always exercise patience, reasonable expectations and shower children with encouragement.

Who knows, your child might just surprise you one day.