Whether you’re homeschooling or trying to help your child catch up in the classroom, these 10 tricks will help make math fun for kids! Sponsored by Wonder Math.
The past couple school years have been a bit unusual, to say the least! Many of us parents had to handle school at home for weeks, even months!
This year, many kids are back in the classroom, but understandably, there may be some skill gaps after so many changes. Many parents are wondering how can I help my child improve in math? Or how to help my child catch up in math?
Then there are those of us who are homeschooling this year and have to help kids learn math at home. How can we make math fun AND teach the skills our kids need?
When we made the decision to homeschool our second grader this year, I’ll admit that I was a little bit nervous. Reading and writing are no problem, but I’m not very familiar with common core math that is taught in schools these days! Not to mention, traditional math worksheets aren’t super exciting.
Y’all there has to be a better way!! (Spoiler alert…there is!!)
10 Ways to Make Math Fun for Kids
Whether your child is in the classroom or learning at home this year, I’m sure most parents can relate to the struggle to get kids interested in math. That’s why I wanted to share some of the tricks that worked for us to make math fun!
1. Make it playful
Kids love to play! We usually kick off our homeschool day with warm-ups. We dance, stretch, sing, and just get silly! Sometimes we’ll count to 100 while we clap and do funny movements. Sometimes we’ll watch videos online of our favorite math songs. We keep these warm-ups light and playful, so we start the day off in a fun mood.
2. Personalize the problems
Whether you’re creating your own math problems or completing school homework, try swapping out the names in written problems for your own kids names. Kids love to see their own names and it makes it more relatable for them.
3. Skip boring worksheets
Worksheets are often a fact of life in the classroom, so that’s why we take a break from them when practicing math at home. There are so many other ways to practice math!
4. Make it real life
I can remember as a kid complaining about math homework: “when am I ever going to use this in real life?”
Answer: Every single day!!
We use math ALL day long — cooking and baking (measuring), telling time, counting money at the grocery store. These are all opportunities to practice real life math skills with your kids!
Related: 20 Learning at Home Activities
5. Get hands-on
Every child has their own learning style; one such style is kinesthetic learning. Kinesthetic learners learn by doing.
That’s why it can be helpful to switch things up sometimes! Ways to incorporate movement and touch with math include practicing addition/subtraction with dice or playing cards.
6. Make it Magical
To practice basic addition and subtraction problems, my kids and I love “magic math.” The answers appear when you drop the paper in water!
Related: Check out the instructions to our Magic Math activity here!
7. Bring in the “Pros”
Let’s face it, we’re not all cut out to be math teachers…and that’s ok! Also, many of the common core math techniques being taught today are unfamiliar to us parents.
After struggling to relearn how to teach math last year when my girls were remote learning, I decided to make things easier on myself this year! We recently started Wonder Math, a combination of math tutoring program and interactive experience, for kids in grades 2-5.
My 2nd grader learns skills that will help her excel in the classroom…and I don’t have to stress about figuring out “new” math!
Keep reading to learn more about Wonder Math, plus our experience with the program! I’ll also share how to get one month trial for $1!
8. Positive rewards
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book: rewards. That’s because it works! I still remember my sixth grade teacher and his box of candy — we were allowed to pick out a treat for a job well done. I was always trying to earn candy!
Which brings me to another reason I love Wonder Math: kids can earn “gems” by solving math games to exchange for real-world prizes. The prizes look really cool! My daughter is saving up for a slime kit or a unicorn light…she hasn’t decided yet!
9. Take a field trip
Remember when I mentioned that grocery stores place that we use math in every day life? For the next shopping trip, involve your kids! Ask them to help you make a budget and pay the cashier at the end of the trip.
Field trips don’t have to be formal. You can even go somewhere close by, like the local playground. Make a game of estimating the size of playground equipment and seeing who came closest with a tape measure.
10. Know when to take a break
It’s always been the motto in our house to NOT do homework right after school. Instead, we fuel up with a snack or enjoy some down time to read, relax, etc.
It’s also important to know how much is too much. I love that Wonder Math doesn’t push kids to practice math every single day, but instead through once-weekly sessions. That way kids don’t get burnt out and they actually look forward to their tutoring sessions!
What is Wonder Math?
Wonder Math is a weekly online live tutoring program designed to help 2nd – 5th graders build math skills and develop a love of learning. Each class is limited to a max of four students, ensuring that every student gets personalized attention and plenty of opportunities for participation.
However, this isn’t your average online math tutor!
First, Wonder Math utilizes the Zoom platform, which allows students to interact face-to-face with their teacher and fellow classmates.
But what really sets Wonder Math apart from other programs is their story-based learning technique, which truly gets kids engaged and excited. Students work together to solve math games and navigate through an ongoing adventure.
During each session, students earn “gems” by completing math games and leveling up. Students level up by accumulating points in math games and through their achievements and efforts. These gems are the Wonder Math currency and can be redeemed for real-life prizes in the Rewards Store.
With Wonder Math, kids learn Common Core skills that will complement their classroom or homeschool experience, but it’s so much fun that it doesn’t feel like school work!
After our first session, my daughter asked every day when she got to do Wonder Math again. She looks forward all week to her next session.
I could go on and about how much our family loves Wonderl Math, but the best way to find out if it’s right for your family is to try it. Wonder Math provides a one-month trial for only $1, so there’s no better time to give it a try!
Your Trial Includes:
- 1 month for $1 (that’s 4 hour-long sessions)
- Live online math games and a story-based adventure to keep kids engaged and learning
- 25 “gems” to get started (Gems are Wonder Math Currency that students can earn after completing challenges that they can later trade in for real life prizes.)
- Common core aligned curriculum to help students recognize and understand material when they see it later in school
Get more details and claim your Wonder Math trial here!
One more thing I wanted to point out: Wonder Math’s teachers are the BEST. They only hire 1% of teacher applicants! Your student has the same teacher each week, so they develop relationships and feel comfortable in the Zoom classroom.
Want to make math fun for your child? Use my link to get a one-month trial of Wonder Math for only $1!
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