Let me start by telling you what I don’t recommend to parents: I never recommend parents help their children with their actual math homework.
The reason is that parents were not taught to do math the same way their children are being taught to do it. So when a parent teaches the math differently than is being taught in class (or, worse, corrects their child and tells them they aren’t doing it properly), it not only doesn’t help their child but it can strongly undermine his or her math confidence, which is completely counterproductive.
On the other hand, though, here are a few suggestions for how you can help your daughter:
Create an environment that is conducive to learning or, in other words, free of distractions. If your daughter is able to listen to music when she’s doing her math homework without being distracted by it, then I say go for it, but conversely, if music makes it difficult for her to focus, then it’s probably best to keep the room as quiet as possible.
Rather than asking your daughter if she has finished her homework, try asking her, “Have you understood your homework?” because what really counts is not so much the amount of time she has spent on her homework but whether she understands it.
Ask her what marks she’s getting on her math quizzes and tests so you have a fairly accurate idea of how she’s doing in class.
Stay in contact with your daughter’s math teacher because they will have the best sense of how she’s doing and may be able to make some specific recommendations, if need be.
Comments