5 maths tips
1. Number Bonds:
These are the building blocks of simple arithmetic. Games and activities that practise adding and subtracting numbers from 0-10 and then larger numbers e.g. up to 20, up to 50 etc. are good for improving basic addition and subtraction skills which form part of many mathematical topics.
2. Times Tables:
Knowing the multiplication facts with confidence is a very useful skill in Maths. To have them at their fingertips children benefit from frequent practise and repetition using a preferred method e.g. through songs and rhymes, learning by rote, playing games, using visual or auditory memory skills. Practise is the key and also memory aids such as the visual patterns in some times tables e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 etc. / 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, etc. and hand cues such as that for the nine times table which involves holding down certain fingers to give the answer.
3. Telling the Time:
This is a topic that some children find difficult to grasp quickly. Understanding can develop over time and it is best to teach the different elements in stages. First introduce the four most simple clock times: o'clock, quarter past, half past and quarter to. Only when these are fully understood move on to the more complex ideas of minutes past e.g. ten past three and minutes to e.g. twenty to four. Many children find the concept of digital clock times confusing in conjunction with the earlier clock times e.g that 3.45 is the same as a quarter to four. Use a play clock with moveable hands to practise showing different clock times and encourage children to look at the time using clocks and watches in their daily routine.
4. Understanding Money:
Like telling the time, understanding money concepts is an everyday skill and a practical part of children's lives. Some find it difficult to understand that different combinations of coins can have the same value e.g. a lOp coin is the same as four 2p coins. Using simple shopping games or coin value worksheets familiarises them with the ideas of adding coins of different values and gives practise of working out change.
5. Different Learning Methods:
Most people have a preference for certain learning styles. For someone who likes to write down a sum to solve it, theirs is a visual preference. Others prefer an auditory approach and so find mental arithmetic easier. Key concepts such as division or place value (hundreds, tens and units) are often made clearer by using either pictorial explanations e.g. drawings, or concrete demonstrations e.g. using objects.
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