How To Keep Your Child Interested in Math

Math is usually not one of the most enjoyable classes for many students. They think that learning math is a complete waste of time because they will never use what they learn. Show them how to see the importance of math in everyday life.

1. Save your loose change by putting it into a glass jar or a piggy bank. Allow the change to grow until the piggy bank becomes heavy. Watching the bank fill with money will keep your child interested in math.
2. Wait until the jar gets nearly filled. Ask the child to open the bank and to dump the contents onto a towel on the table. This is when the math lesson starts as you keep your child interested in math.
3. Ask the child to put all the same coins in separate piles. Have him tell you the value of each coin, and how they relate to pennies. Example: a dime = ten pennies, a nickel = five pennies and so on. If he does not know, tell him.
4. Teach him the value of the coins by having him tell you what he could buy with each pile. Tell him to show you how many pennies equal a dime. (He will have to count the ten pennies.) Do the same for each coin. This will help keep your child interested in math. He will be anxious to tell you what he can buy with the change, and how the change can turn into paper money.
5. Have the child actually count out a dollar in combination of change. When he does, take the change and give him the dollar bill. This will show him the facts about a dollar.
6. Teaching a young child the value of money - what it can buy, and what it is worth - will help to keep your child interested in math. Ask the child what he would like to buy and how much he thinks it would cost.
7. Keep the child interested in math by having him count the amount of money he needs for his purchase. If he does not have enough money, ask him how much more money he thinks he needs to buy it. Money is now becoming real and not just a number in a math book.
8. Have the child count out the amount of money needed to buy candy that cost $1.35. Watch him as he starts counting. After he counts out the correct amount, tell him to put the money in his pocket. Then drive to the store with him. Have him spend the full amount of money on his purchase. This way the money becomes real - he sees that it buys something.

Keep your child interested in math by showing them how useful math is in many everyday tasks. As he gets older, teach him how to save money in the bank and how interest makes the money grow.