A survey by the Scottish Government showed that too many adults are happy to label themselves as ‘no good with numbers’. These adults have bad memories of ‘school maths’ and said they found it hard and boring. Some said they were made to feel stupid and used words like ‘fear’, ‘dread’ and ‘panic’ when talking about their school experiences.
You may have heard your child talk about ‘growth mindset’. In Angus, we want all pupils to have a growth mindset about maths and numeracy. Our aim is to help our children and young people see that there is no such thing as a ‘maths person’. Everyone can get better with practice and maths can be fun!
TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS/CARERS
- Do encourage your child to notice the maths around them and talk about what they see
- Do challenge your child to spot patterns and ask questions
- Do provide interesting puzzles for your child to solve and discuss their ideas with them
- Do play maths based games with your child
- Do avoid sharing any personal bad experiences of maths
To learn more about growth mindset in maths visit youcubed by clicking below:
ONLINE SUPPORT
The following websites are suitable for all ages. They contain lots of ideas for developing and practising important Numeracy skills in a fun way.
NRICH:
Strategy games and puzzles are a great way to get your child thinking. This website contains a range of challenges for developing their ability to solve number problems.
Mathematical Matching Puzzles:
The activities on this website test both memory and skill and are harder than they might at first seem!
Further stage-specific resources are available by clicking on the links below:
