Making maths fun

Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School, in the heart of Kensington, explain why you don’t have to be a genius with numbers to help your child enjoy maths.

It is said that if children can discover things for themselves rather than being told, they find them a lot more exciting and satisfying to learn. At Prince’s Gardens, they believe this is just as true for maths as it is any other subject, and if parents get into the habit of using simple maths in an everyday context, their children will find maths enjoyable, as well as learn valuable life skills.

So, what exactly are the easiest ways of introducing your child to the world of maths. At Prince’s Gardens they believe helping your child learn at home can be done through the following five easy steps.

Use everyday tasks

Finding the maths in everyday tasks, such as going shopping or cooking dinner, is an easy way not only to practice maths, but also to show why it is important to know how to divide, multiply and subtract.

In a world that increasingly relies on plastic rather than cash, opportunities to use actual money are less common than they used to be. But when the opportunity arises, use it to engage children. Give them a handful of change and ask them to work out whether they have enough money to buy this book or bar of chocolate. Have them hand over and count the change when it comes back. Ask them to add the cost of two items together and see what would be left if they used the money in their hand.

Even if you aren’t heading out to the shops, you can play ‘shopping’ at home. Try lining up your children’s toys, price them, then buy and sell them. For your child, it’s a game rather than a maths lesson, but once they get to their next maths lesson, it should come to them with ease because they will recall what they learnt when playing at home. And that head-start is often all it takes to feel confident and happy at school.

Sing the numbers

Children love to sing, so use the many counting songs out there to embed number familiarity. “Ten green bottles …”, “The animals went two by two…”, “Five little ducks…” and all the other favourites can boost a child’s numerical abilities from a very young age. Songs are easy to remember, so this is a lesson that should stay with them for some time to come.

Count as you do

Maths does not need to be complicated, especially if you have very young children. Something as simple as counting steps up to the bed, looking at the shapes in paving slabs and counting the sides, or even laying the table and counting out how many pieces of cutlery are needed for each person will also help build that number familiarity. And these same everyday actions can be turned into equation and percentage games that can be used to get older children to interact with maths.

Get the board games out

A simple board game in which your child has to roll a dice and move forward a set number of spaces can be a wonderful technique for teaching maths. Snakes and Ladders is particularly good - not least because a player can go backwards as well as forwards. Ask your child how many squares the snake took them back or ask them to find the difference between where they were and where they are now.

Just learning what a number looks like on a dice is an incredible start. Older children can benefit a lot from learning how to play Monopoly, which involves calculating costs in an enjoyable and competitive way.

Gradually introduce them to complexity

As your child grows, they will need more sophisticated maths to keep their interest. This is the perfect time to teach them money management on top of their everyday maths skills – for example, opening a savings account and helping them work out how much money they need to save for certain items can create great excitement for a child. Saving up for something specific over a certain length of time is a great way to engage them.

Prince’s Gardens have developed a list of questions you can ask your child at home to help them enjoy and improve in maths:

1. You’re sorting out the laundry. How many pairs of socks do you have? So, how many socks are there all together?
2. We need to share the chocolate equally. How many pieces should each person be given?
3. Your pocket money is £3 a week. How long will it take for you to save up for X?
4. We need to leave the house in 20 minutes. Can you tell me what time that will be?
5. If these jeans cost £100 and there is 25% discount in the sale, how much do they cost now?

These are some great ways to encourage your child to take an interest in maths, but the most important lesson to take away is to ensure your child is having fun. This will help your child engage with maths in a positive way and will make learning more exciting for them.

At Prince’s Gardens, academic excellence is ensured through an engaging, innovative curriculum taught by experts, with the intention of inspiring a lifelong love of learning. There is a programme of tracking and assessment to ensure there is a complete understanding of your child’s progress, which can be shared with parents, to further support the important partnership between home and school. Their broad curriculum with specialist staff covering a wide range of subjects, including art, drama, music, sport, STEM and languages also creates a rich and exciting day for each child.

If you would like to learn more about Prince’s Gardens, please register to attend one of their upcoming January Open Days by visiting www.princesgardensprep.co.uk/admissions. Alternatively you can contact admissions on admissions@princesgardensprep.co.uk or call 020 7591 4620.