NUMERACY TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD EVERYDAY - Over the next few newsletters, I will include handy tips and ways you can help your child develop numeracy skills which have been taken from the Victorian Department of Education and Training, Guide for Parents.

Through everyday activities at home, families can help children develop their numeracy skills, such as calculating and using numbers, recognising patterns, and using language to develop mathematical understanding. 

NUMERACY - Family participation in learning is one of the most accurate predictors of a child’s success in school and beyond. Providing opportunities to discuss and engage in mathematics supports your child’s learning in and out of school. Your child will also begin to connect the importance of maths with their everyday activities, such as navigating public transport, comparing and choosing the best item to buy in stores, setting a budget, and cooking. Talk positively about maths so your child also values it. If your experiences in maths at school  were less than ideal, avoid making comments like “I was bad at maths at school,” or “I didn’t like maths because it was too hard.” Comments like these can lower your child’s expectations of themselves and can perpetuate myths about people being naturally bad or good at maths. 

Conversely, if you did well at maths in school, avoid jumping in with answers or solutions. Encourage your child to talk about how they might work out maths problems. This helps boost their confidence and deepens their understanding. Regardless of your own school experiences in maths, be reassured that maths today is not about learning by rote. Today, the focus is on recognising that there are multiple ways to get an answer and being able to explain how and why you chose the approach you did. 

There are many activities you can do at home to help explore maths with your child. When participating in these activities, avoid associating them with speed. Expecting your child to work quickly on maths can cause maths anxiety. Try to focus on the process and not the outcome.

EXPLORING NUMERACY WITH YOUR CHILD

SPORTS

Sports provide a good opportunity to engage your child in maths, particularly if they are a keen sportsperson. Here are some questions to ask your child when watching or playing their favourite sport: 

• How does your favourite sport tally the score? What maths is presented on the tally? 
• How do other sports tally the score – for example, tennis, golf, cricket, netball, football?
• What maths do you use to find the total of the scores? 
• Who is at the top of the ladder? How is this determined? 
• Are there other ways to record the score? 
• How long do your favourite sport games go for in minutes and seconds? How is the time in the game divided? Into halves, quarters or something else?
• What are the shapes of different playing fields and courts? Talk about edges and angles.
•  How can you estimate the perimeter and area of a playing field? 
• How many cars could be parked on the SCG field? How could we work this out?

LILLIAN DEL GIUDICE

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL