6 Effective Tactics on How to Teach Math to Young Learners

Teaching children math concepts for the first time can be challenging for parents. It requires a lot of patience and persistence. This post will discuss how to teach math concepts for children to have the tools they need for success when handling more advanced math questions or problems in future years.

Visual learning

Research has proven that visual learning should go beyond graphs and images in a textbook. To make children learn effectively, parents should use every opportunity to show images related to what their kids are studying.

One picture can help little ones remember a concept. Images also bring fun to the study session. Make math learning an environment where children can use their pencils, crayons, and magic markers during drills at home.

Graphics are also often used by learning centers when they teach different subjects, including math. Ask teachers for the best and effective practices for how to teach math with pictures.

Hands-on learning

Elementary math can be challenging for our little ones because of the numerous concepts they need to remember.

Imagine your children in this situation: For the first time, they face a fundamental addition problem. It’s an entirely new concept to them. Therefore, they might find it challenging to imagine a set of items being added to another.

Manipulatives are among the excellent hands-on tools for making math easy to understand. Use wooden blocks, play-dough, and Lego to demonstrate how math concepts work. With these manipulatives, you can show quantities, basic operations, patterns, and many more!

Play is another way of teaching basic math operations in a fun and engaging way. Board games like Monopoly are a compelling way to teach them addition and subtraction. This classic game, in particular, teaches the basics of finances, loans, and taxation.

Combine math with storytelling

Young children are always interested in hearing stories. That’s why using storytelling as a tool for learning math is an excellent method to keep them engaged.

When doing math drills at home, make it a point to take your time with your children. Makeup stories relating to the problem they’re trying to solve. It can be anything from the characters and creatures they love to real-life applications of that particular problem.

Storytelling enables your children to understand that math is not just another chore to complete. It is practical knowledge that they can use in real-life scenarios. Ask your child to explain the concepts

People become confident about their knowledge of a particular concept when they are able to explain it in their own way, using their own words, and that the listener understood what was discussed.

Asking your children how to solve a math problem or concept will make them think about how they understand it. This challenge gives them a chance to explain how they see it, which helps them understand the concept more deeply with minimum assistance from you.

Parents should ask their children this question at home when they’re learning new mathematics by themselves: “I’d like to know how you solve ___ by yourself.” Just watch as their confidence in answering questions grows!

Let them learn at their own pace

Children need to be comfortable about learning math. This is only possible if you introduce math concepts following their pace of learning. Rushing will only make it harder for them to learn future topics. Solidify their knowledge first so that they’ll have no problems taking on advanced lessons.

Provide feedback and reward for correct answers

Remember that feedback is different from praise. When you provide feedback, you are letting your child learn about their strengths and weaknesses. Tell them in which areas they’re doing well and the areas where they need to improve.

Praises are also important. Recognition of your children’s efforts will allow them to learn math productively. For instance, give them a snack when they solved all problems correctly. But if the score is below par, don’t stress out about it. Kids should not feel like they’re being tested every time.

We know how to teach math effectively to young children. We incorporate different enjoyable activities to keep them interested in this challenging subject. Contact Imagine Nation Learning Center for more information.