Don't force your kids to do math
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Don't force your kids to do math
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Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#2Maybe find an application of the subject that they might find interesting. I suppose if you can't find anything that interests them, then it's much harder to teach it.
For instance, perspective drawing might provide a nice application of 3D projective space, its subspaces, and perspectivities between those subspaces. Some of the theory of conic sections might be relevant too.
Computer graphics provides a nice application of coordinate geometry. This covers elementary algebra, Pythagoras's theorem, etc.
Even eating pizza can provide an application of differential geometry.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#3Maybe find an application of the subject that they might find interesting. I suppose if you can't find anything that interests them, then it's much harder to teach it. For instance, perspective drawing might provide a nice application of 3D projective space, its subspaces, and perspectivities between those subspaces. Some of the theory of conic sections might be relevant too. Computer graphics provides a nice applica…
I tell my kids they can have letter cookies if they pick a word that starts with the letter, and can have 5 treats if they ask for 4 but know what "plus one means" or can have 4 if they recite "2 plus 2 equals ... ".
They're 3, so I don't expect that to scale, but I'm hoping it's normal reward-for-knowledge by the time we get report cards.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#4Maybe find an application of the subject that they might find interesting. I suppose if you can't find anything that interests them, then it's much harder to teach it. For instance, perspective drawing might provide a nice application of 3D projective space, its subspaces, and perspectivities between those subspaces. Some of the theory of conic sections might be relevant too. Computer graphics provides a nice applica…
Something that might work for getting your kids interested in modular arithmetic: The Chicken McNugget Theorem.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#5When I was having trouble learning multiplication my father made up a payment system. He made flash cards and I got a payment for every one I mastered (I had to get it right some number of times, not just once). I ended up with maybe $25 or $50 which was a lot for a kid in the 1970s.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#6Perhaps make them aware how important it is with examples from nature?
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=fibonacci+in+nature+examples&...
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#7Perhaps make them aware how important it is with examples from nature? https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=fibonacci+in+nature+examples&...
Kids do not understand the concept of "importance". At least no kid I've met. That part of their brain doesn't work. They'll trade effort for privileges or toys tho, and are little mimicry machines so they follow you if you use it.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#8It's not about forcing your kids to "do math", but to excel at important skills far before the benefits of being good at that skill matter.
The amount of homework/study per day that maximizes math scores on tests is significant, 1+ hours/school day by the time they're in middle school, with it helping even more for those who are starting out poor at math[0]. You'll note the referenced study doesn't even max out progress for any group - meaning most could have studied more and improved more.
I don't know any kids that voluntarily did an hour or more of solely math study per day. I know plenty that were forced, and ended up loving math or other technical fields as adults.
As a parent of young kids, obviously I haven't gone through high school yet - but I don't think many children who reach their potential in math, english, music etc will have no pressure from their parents.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#9I'm fortunate enough that my daughter has an admirable interest (and talent) for Math since very early age. She even won a medal at a renowned nationwide Math competition when she was in Grade 5... competing in the Grade 10 category.
Re: Don't force your kids to do math
#10My daughter and loads of kids watched number blocks from around two or three up, I think it made quite a big difference- she's far ahead of where I was now, years later.