4 Ways to Make Math Fun for Your Child

I’m Virginia school assembly expert Joe Romano. I’ve traveled the Northeast of the United States, presenting my amazing assembly programs in VA, PA, CT, NY, MD, and even Washington DC. Parents and teachers love how I incorporate fun and excitement into curriculum-based topics like science, reading, and math.

Many kids struggle with math because of how it’s presented. But math can be just as fun and exciting as any other topic that interests your child. Below are 4 simple ways to make math fun for your child.

Make Math Fun for Your Child Tip #1: Show Math in Real Life

Let’s debunk one of the biggest math myths right away. Contrary to popular math, math is everywhere in our everyday lives! Many of us either don’t realize it or don’t know where to look. To make math fun for your child, you’ll have to show them all the ways our lives are impacted by math.

The easiest and best place to start? Food. Ask your child what their favorite food is. No matter the answer, math is involved with it in some way. Even chicken nuggets and pizza use math!

If they doubt you, offer to let them heat the oven to make those frozen chicken nuggets. When they ask what temperature to set the oven, ask them why it matters. Very young children may not know the answer. But older kids will want to get the temperature right to avoid undercooking or burning the food. That’s math!

Take this step further with the next tip.

Make Math Fun for Your Child Tip #2: Get Involved

What other foods does your child like? What about deserts? If your child loves cake, get them involved. Tell your child you’re going to make their favorite kind of cake with their help.

Find the recipe and point out to your child all the measurements involved in making the perfect cake. Have them do all the measuring. If they are careless or don’t seem to care about getting the measurements exact, allow the cake to turn out bad. They’ll soon learn to appreciate accurate math in cooking!

Make Math Fun for Your Child Tip #3: Their Interests

Look at what your child enjoys. Hobbies, interests, and subjects in school are all fair game. Chances are you’ll be able to find some ways their interests involve math. You just have to think about it a little.

Does your child enjoy sports? That’s easy. Beyond the obvious math in scoring, sports are filled with math. Complex equations explain how a slider in baseball causes the ball to dip suddenly leading to the batter swinging and missing.

How about video games? If your child enjoys video games, you can take them on a mission to find math in their favorite video games. Researching online will uncover an amazing amount of math in video games of every kind.

With just a little imagination, you’ll likely be able to show your child their favorite interests are filled with math.

Make Math Fun for Your Child Tip #4: Reduce Anxiety

One reason your child may not enjoy math? They may not understand it. If your child struggles with math, it’s time to practice. When the new school year starts, schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher. Sit down with them and talk about our child’s struggles with math.

Discuss these problems with the teacher. Brainstorm an approach together that may help your child understand math. Best of all, meeting with your teacher gives you the chance to learn the teacher’s idiosyncrasies and preferences. This way, you’ll be better prepared if your child comes home from school and complains their teacher is “not being fair.”

By understanding the teacher’s policies and how they handle things (like late homework!), you can be sure your child avoids simple things that cause their grades to suffer.

Want to Get Your Entire School Excited About Math?

Math can be fun. Kit’s all how it’s presented! My “Superhero Math” school assembly gets children amped up for math! With amazing magic, kid-friendly antics, fun interactive games, and more, your students will love this program! To find out more information, visit the “Superhero Math” webpage today.