5 Fun Ways to Teach Kids Real‑World Maths
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How many times have you explained a maths concept to your child, only to have them ask, “When am I ever going to need this?”
We're all open to learning new things, as long as we understand how that knowledge will benefit and enrich our lives. It's no different for young children – once they realise how things they learn can be applied to real situations, they'll become more eager to listen, ask questions and look out for more opportunities to show you how well they've grasped the key concepts.
1. Implement school lessons at home
For example, if your child is learning about different temperatures at school, ask them to help you check the temperature at home and outside. You can start by asking them if they think it's hot, cold or warm, and to predict the temperature. Then, consult the thermometer together to see how close your predictions were.
2. Create a simple budget
Sit down with your child and plan a household budget for the month. Subtract regular expenses such as rent, bills and car payments, and encourage them to try and come up with as much money as possible to remain after expenses.
3. Go shopping together
Plan a family shopping day and prepare a shopping list. Ask your child to help you pick out items from the list and cross them off as you go. Challenge them to stay within a set budget and estimate the amount of the overall purchase while shopping. This activity helps them incorporate several maths skills at once, such as budgeting, subtraction, addition and estimation.
4. Cook together
Following a recipe is a great (and delicious!) way to practise fractions and measurements. Show your child different measuring tools in the kitchen and talk about the concept of fractions, such as explaining how two half‑cups make one whole cup. After all the ingredients are assembled, guess how many servings it will produce.
5. Host fun competitions
How many cookies are in the cookie jar? How many minutes will it take to wash up all the dishes? What is the average weight of this week's shopping bags? Almost everything can be turned into a fun maths game, and by keeping up the fun, the learning is sure to come!
