4 Ways to Support Your Child’s Math Development

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Hey Caregivers! Talking about math with your kids helps build their confidence and familiarity with math concepts, fostering early numeracy skills and developing problem-solving abilities. It strengthens their math vocabulary and promotes a growth mindset by showing that effort leads to success and that mistakes are part of learning. Discussing math in real-life contexts makes it more engaging and relatable, helping children see its relevance in everyday life. Additionally, asking open-ended questions sparks curiosity and encourages deeper thinking, creating a supportive environment that enhances their overall math development. 

Are you convinced and ready to go? Try these 4 tips below to plunge into talking math and promote your child’s math development.

1. Use everyday situations to talk about math (like estimating). Estimating is a great skill for kids to practice because it helps them develop number sense and improve their ability to make quick, reasonable judgments in everyday situations. It encourages flexible thinking and helps children become comfortable with approximations, which is important for problem-solving. Estimation also builds a foundation for understanding concepts like measurement, quantity, and size, while boosting their confidence to tackle math without needing exact answers all the time. Practicing estimation in real-life activities, like guessing the number of gumballs in a jar or estimating which weighs more—a squash or pumpkin—makes math fun and practical. And adds a little zest to the Farmers Market.
2. Practice with hands-on learning (like counting and sorting or playing “I Spy” with shapes). There are so many opportunities to practice counting and sorting with kids! It could be skip counting while washing the shampoo out of their hair in the shower, counting and comparing the number of pieces of silverware while putting the dishes away, or matching, sorting, and counting while folding their laundry. Playing “I Spy” with shapes and patterns is an easy way to pass the time (and develop math skills) while waiting for food at a restaurant or on a car ride.
3. Praise persistence and effort, not just results. It’s all about problem-solving instead of answer-getting! If we model and focus the conversation on the process versus the end product, highlighting the journey and persistence instead of the answer. This will promote a “growth mindset,” in which kids will focus on effort over just being smart and results. 
4. Show a positive attitude towards math. Parents and caregivers need to be careful about not saying anything negative about math because children often internalize their attitudes, which can lead to math anxiety or a fear of the subject. If kids hear statements like “I’m not good at math” or “Math is hard,” they may start to believe that math is inherently difficult or that success in it depends on natural talent rather than effort. This can undermine their confidence and willingness to engage with math. 

For further reading and information, please see:

• This article about the Math Estimation Machine at The Community Classroom
• This article about math anxiety
• This article with ideas for fall math estimation activities.