Form a Network to Help Your Child With Math

Sometimes finding help is as easy as opening your mouth...literally. If your child needs help with math, talk with other parents to discover if their children struggle, too. If they do, you may be able to form a support group and exchange ideas and resources to find out what has and has not worked for others and what may or may not work for your situation. I know you've heard it before, "two heads working together is better than one." Suppose you had access to 3 or 5 or 10 brains? You may be surprised as to what you can discover.

What about other parents whose children already excel in math? Don't exclude them from the group as they can help you by telling you HOW their children excel. What habits do their children have that yours don't? What do they find helpful to keep their children on the top? Would their children sit and "talk" with your children about math and how to do better? Bottom line: Open up your mouth and form a network of people to help you help your child with math.

To purchase a book of strategies to help your child with math, go to http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

Join the PTA To Get Resources

Sometimes helping your child is as simple as asking what's available. What better place to get resources than your local school's PTA?

While the PTA is often involved in fundraising efforts, it is also a resource house for parents. The PTA is partially for parents, after all. So if you have a need involving your child and school, it is logical that you go to your PTA for help. It may have resources that you never even thought of to help your child with math, and usually all you have to do is ASK for these resources! Why reinvent the wheel, when some of the legwork has already been done for you? Use what they have, and then if you need more resources, go on from there.

The beauty of working with the PTA as opposed to going it alone is that you are collaborating with a group of people. Some of the people may have gone through the exact same thing that you are and have tried different methods. They can tell you what helped for their students and what didn't, what they liked and what they didn't (although this may be different from you) and why. You want to know why this did or didn't work because the same reason that some person might not like the program may be the exact reason that it would be perfect for your situation. Get into the PTA and network with its members!

What if your local PTA doesn't have any resources to help your child with math? Tell them that you need resources for your child with math, and that you are sure your family isn't the only one struggling with this issue. Then ask if the organziation will hold a meeting or seminar on the issue. Usually they will, and to prepare for this meeting or seminar, the presenters will probably put together a package that the participants can take with them, i.e. resources.

To purchase a book of strategies that helps you to help your child with math, go to http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com

Get Your Children Moving to Improve Skills

Watching the Winter Olympics was fascinating! The sheer athleticism of the participants was truly breathtaking.

I began thinking about how their athleticism could translate into better performance for our own children, not that they have to be olympic athletes, of course. But we can help our children learn and retain math better through exercise.

How?

I know that when I exercise my mind is sharper and I can focus more clearly on certain tasks. Those types of after effects of vigorous exercise can help our children perform better in and out of the classroom, too. Unfortunately, too few of us, our children included, experience the invigorating effects of working hard through exercise.

So, to help your child tap into the after effects of rigorous exercise, get them moving! Have your child to exercise for a minimum of 45 minutes each day, working to keep the heartrate up for at least 20 minutes. They do not have to overdo it here, but it should be difficult for them to hold a normal conversation during this time. Some activities that will yield this type of result include jumproping, jumping jacks, skating, biking, climbing stairs, aerobics, cheerleading, football, basketball, racing, soccer, even playing on the Wii! Find something that your children enjoy and make sure to incorporate it into their daily schedule either through an organized team or just a set amount of time at home. Get moving!

For more strategies to help your child with math, purchase a 38 page guidebook at http:HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

TV Discussions Lead to Math Interest

Have regular conversations with your child about math and math related careers. Even doing simple things like watching TV can turn into a discussion about math. Discuss with her how TV programming is paid for in part by the commercials that are shown. That can easily lead into another discussion of how much air time her favorite program gets or how much specific products spend for advertising versus the price for their products and how many people they expect to buy the product as a result of the adverstising. You may discuss break even points and how many sales it would take for the product to make money after paying for the advertising. This could create a desire to learn more about the industry, and in doing so, to learn more about the math. Or, it could just be a discussion that leads to more such discussions which leads to more interest in math!

For more tips, visit http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

Limit Video Game Playing to Increase Achievement

To help with math comprehension and achievement, reduce or limit video game playing to 1 hour per day total. Just like television, video games distract our kids much of the day. And just like television, if we want to help them get on track with their math, we need to reduce or eliminate video game playing. The time that they were spending on playing video games can be used in more constructive ways such as playing, exercising, talking and bonding with family, reading, memorizing facts, etc.

For a book of strategies, visit http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

Get Back to Basics to Teach Basic Skills

To teach or reinforce basics, get back to basics! In this day of ever increasing technology, it is still beneficial to give it all up for at least a few minutes and get back to basics.

I'm sure you have observed that in schools these days, as in other parts of the world, technology is king. Our kids are constantly bombarded with ever more technology to complete simple tasks that we somehow accomplished without technology. There are computer and hand held video games and systems and even television programs dedicated to teaching and reinforcing math, english, social studies and science facts. Not that I am against any of these, I'm NOT! But there is a time for everything. And if the use of these advanced technologies has not helped your child learn or improve basic skills, then it should not be more of the same.

If technology has yet to yield the results you crave, do something different! Consider going back to the basics. Turn off the television, computer, and video games. Sit your child down in a quiet area with (dare I say it?) paper and pencil, and maybe a textbook (what is that?) and have him say and write the particular basic fact that you want him to learn. Have him do this 10 times, alternating sitting and standing while speaking (and writing, if he is able). After 10 times on a particular fact, say the Pythagorean Theorem, then and only then should he do the same with another fact. Limit his practice of this type to 4 different facts per day.

Tell him that you (or your designee) will quiz him either orally or in writing on his knowledge when he is finished. Quiz him and reward him for his successes with verbal praise. If he doesn't do so well, praise him for the effort, and work on the same facts the next day. Even if he does well and you move on to another set of 4 facts the next day, quiz him on the previous days' facts. You and your child can come up with a reward, if you so choose, after he receives a satisfactory "grade" on a quiz after at least 6 days of such quizzing. Since he is working daily and receiving daily feedback, his confidence is improving even if he is still not performing as well as you would like. As his confidence continues to improve, so will his performance, and with more work, he will work to achieve his potential.

For a 38 page book of strategies, visit http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

Let Service Be A Part of Progressing

When we have a goal that we are focused on achieving, like becoming more knowledgeable in math, sometimes we overlook service as a means to accomplish our goals. If we can let service be a part of progressing to the next steps in goal achievement, I am positive that we would reach our goals faster.

How can you serve and learn math? Help someone else to learn what you already know! Even the student who is the most inept in math, still has some skill set in which he is apt. Maybe he is great with geometry, multiplication, or money. Maybe he has a unique way that he learned to count. He can pass his strengths on to the next person by giving them the tips that he has learned to succeed in that skill set with.

Whom do you help? Anyone you can! Maybe a neice or nephew, a neighbor's 3 year old, a sibling, or even a parent. Just look around and take your pick. There are always people in need of help and people who are willing to help you accomplish your goals. I've read that you can accomplish anything if you help enough people to accomplish something. Get out, look around, and offer your help to others. Who knows but that another person in that person's circle of friends will want to help you?

A 38 page book of tips is available for purchase at http://helpyourchildachieveinmath.com.

Deadlines Propel Us to Success

Setting deadlines is an integral part of success. Successful people in all walks of life and businesses set deadlines to accomplish tasks.

An important part of setting and achieving any goal is to set deadlines. I read somewhere that a goal is just a dream unless there is a deadline affixed to it. We must put a time limit on when we should accomplish our goals otherwise we may have the same unconquered goals forever. I know people who have had the same seemingly simple goals for years (coming up on decades). Now this is not to say that once you affix a deadline to a particular goal that you will automatically reach it--sometimes you will fall short. Neither is it to say that having long term goals is somehow undesirable. What it means is that although you can accomplish goals without deadlines, you are more likely to accomplish those goals if you have set a prescribed timeline to do so.

After you've set your goals to help your child with math (or in any other endeavor), make sure that you attach a deadline. For example, if the goal is relatively easy, like learn the 2's timetables or memorize the Pythagorean Theorem, then you can set a deadline of 2 to 3 days to accomplish the task. If you've set a seemingly insurmountable goal, then break it down into smaller, achieveable chunks. For example, say you child's goal is learn fractions. Well, that encompasses learning vocabulary, parts of a whole, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions with the same and different denominators, mixed fractions, etc. Break this up by focusing on particular facet of the whole thing like learning fraction vocabulary. This is relatively easy and an achieveable deadline can be up to 2 days by working only 10 minutes per day. Once your child has accomplished that task, then set another mini-goal and deadline for learning fractions.

By setting deadlines and checking that the deadlines have been met, you are now able to set new goals and deadlines and get more accomplished than you'd previously thought possible. The key here is to set realistic deadlines though. Make sure that you look at your and your child's schedule to determine how much time you can allot to meeting the deadlines and if needed, delete some time from other activities. Commit to spending at least 10 minutes per day on meeting the particular deadline and you will be well on your way to math and life success.

"How to Help Your Kids Achieve In Math," a 38 page guidebook, is available at http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com

How to Pinpoint Areas to Improve

When starting any project, including helping your child with math, it is important to know WHERE to begin. If you are going to set and achieve goals, then it is imperative that you pinpoint where to start.

To determine what area you should focus on, use: 1) your assessment, 2) your child's assessment, and 3) your child's teacher's assessment of his needs. Let's start with number one, you. You should have a general idea of what area your child is lacking in through your helping him daily and his frustrations with the work, reviewing his graded work, and questions you've asked him, either through informal testing or oral questions. Based on your observations in these areas, you can determine what you think you should pinpoint.

Your child should be actively involved in the process, too. He, afterall, knows better than anyone what he doesn't know. He may not be entirely sure what skills will help him the most, but he knows in what areas he's lacking. Use this. Ask for his input. Ask him what he feels would be most helpful for him to learn or get better at first, then take that into consideration.

The saying two heads are better than one really is true, and in this case three heads are better than two. Your child's teacher plays an integral role in this puzzle. Share with him you and your child's concerns about his mathematical abilities. Then ask him what he feels would most benefit your child in order of importance.

Once you have these three viewpoints, you can determine one or two things to begin to work on. Be careful that you don't overwhelm you or your child by taking on more than three areas to improve at one time. You and/or your child may become so frustrated and give up. By keeping the number of skills to work on down to one or two, you have the time and energy to focus on a small number, and are more apt to achieve your goal of improvement in these areas. You will also be more likely to choose more skills, once these are learned, to improve upon.

To purchase a 38 page guide to help your child achieve in math, go to http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com

Set Goals To Achieve Success

Many people make resolutions for the new year, although its efficacy is questioned. Resolutions can be summed up in another way: goals. If you have studied any successful people, you have found how they relate the importance of goals in their lives. So if it is important for successful people to make and keep resolutions, or goals, then it should be important for your child (and you).

For the sake of performing better in a particular school subject, say math, have your child set 2 goals that she will achieve for the month of January. The goals can be simple or difficult. Make sure that she sets goals short, monthly goals and long term, yearly or semester, goals. However, if she is just starting out, it is easier to set and achieve short term success on the way to the long term success. This is the method that many weight loss programs use. They want people to see results fast so that they stick with the program. And you want your child to see results quickly too, so that she will continue to set goals and achieve success.

As for you, the parent. You should also set 2 goals for the month of January related to how you will help your child succeed. These, like hers, can be small or gargantuan. Just set your goals and work on achieving them.

I recently heard a statistic that captured my attention. If you write down your goals, you are 80% more likely to achieve them than if you just think about them. Wow! Something as simple as writing down a goal can help you fulfil it. So make sure that as you are setting these goals, you are writing them down. It also helps if you can see the goals on a daily basis. So have both you and your child post your monthly goals in a highly visible area like the refrigerator or near a bathroom mirror or door. Read them and be reminded everyday of what you want to achieve. Then do it!

To purchase a 38 page book of strategies on how to help your child achieve in math, visit http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com

Get More Iron Into Your Child's Diet

In a previous post, I talked about how important iron is to mathematical achievement and I gave some healthy food options that contain iron. These included beef liver, spinach, and potatoes to name a few. Another way to get iron into your children's diet is by giving them cereal. Sure cereal isn't usually the healthiest food there is, but it does contain iron most of the time. Read the labels, and with all of the choices, I'm sure you can come up with a selection that both you and your child feel good about.

Importance of Nutrition In School Performance

I read in a Prevention article earlier this year that there was a study done that said iron deficiency in girls can cause them to do 2x as poorly as their peers in math. While we are urged to give our children the important nutrients they need for optimal health, this research suggests that nutrients are key to perform well in school, too.

The findings of this study prove that food is essential to a successfully functioning brain. What this means is that as parents we can't just sit back and allow our children to stuff whatever they feel like into their mouths. We must be proactive in getting them to ingest the vital nutrients that run their bodies optimally.

To get my kids to eat food that they may not find appeasing at first, I offer a smaller amount of it than foods I know they like and I tell them so. I tell them to eat what they don't like first because it is so good for their bodies. I have not only employed this tactic with my children, but I continue to use it on myself. It is the method I used to get the kids to eat beets, brussel sprouts, and brocolli, which they now love. I have learned to like yogurt and cottage chees and tolerate beets.

So much of getting our kids to eat different dishes is about exposing the dishes to them. How will a child eat what she hasn't seen?

But more than just exposing the children to the dishes is nudging them to actually taste them. If this means bribing your child, at least at first, I say OK. For every bite of something I want him to eat, he gets two bites of something he chooses. Let's be realistic. He's probably having what he chooses anyway. This way, he's also having something nutritious.

School aged children need anywhere from 8 to 15 milligrams of iron per day in their diets FROM FOOD, not supplements. Foods that contain iron are beef liver, spinach, lima beans, lentils, potatoes with skin, organic beef and chicken, and avocado. Incorporate these foods whenever possible with other foods such as salads and casseroles to get your children to secretly eat them.

Getting enough iron in their diets is just one way to help your child achieve in math. To view a 38 page book of strategies on how to help your child achieve in math, go to http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

Don't Give Up Your Kids To The System, The School System That Is!

As my two kids were having a private conversation I heard, "Give up your kids?" in an incredulous tone from my 6 year old daughter. That started me to thinking of how many people unknowingly give up their kids to an educational system that may or may not work for them.

As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your children get everything they need. Not just the bare necessities of food, shelter, and clothing but the more meaningful attributes that they will take with them for the remainder of their lives. These include love, first and foremost, security, and yes, education.

So why do so many parents enroll their children in school and expect the system to do the rest? Have we not learned that the system fails at least as many as it helps? The scary truth is that in order for your children to be successful in obtaining a good education, YOU will have to delve deep and determine what a good education is and help them get it.

How? Many people have read or been told that children do better when parents are a part of their school lives. I concur. However, that doesn't mean that you must spend hours completing his math project so that he will get a good grade. While assisting with homework will help your child do better in school, there is another way that studies prove increases his achievement. Simply be a presence in his school. Go to the parent-teacher conferences, PTO nights, plays, and games. But more than that, help out around the school in various ways. Maybe you can donate some items for art, beautify the school grounds, assist a teacher by running some copies, answer the office phone, etc. The list is endless. Ask school personnel what you can do to help if you are unsure where to start.

What if you work?

You don't have to be in the school everyday or even every week for that matter. You can take a couple to four hours per semester to volunteer at your child's school during the day. Altogether, that's ONE day you will miss work for an entire year, and it's for a far better cause than watching a ball game! Imagine if 100 parents per school committed to spend 4 hours per semester in their children's schools. That's 400 hours, or 57 days per semester (based on a 7 hour school day) of extra, free workers in our schools, and 100 extra bodies making sure that our kids are safe!

For more strategies to help your child achieve in math, go to http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com for a 38 page book.

Learn While Exercising

A few days till Christmas. While it's easy to veg out in front of the TV and eat big, hearty meals, it's equally satisfying to get in a little bit of exercise.

If you don't see where you'll be able to get in a full fledged workout, that's OK. Do some situps during the commercials or some squats during a not-so-exciting part of the movie. As you exercise, ask your child to exercise with you. Then encourage her to share with you something that she's learned (or would like to learn) in math as she is exercising.

Some people learn best while being active, and even these relatively small tidbits of time can improve your child's math ability. Try to practice/exercise for 1-3 minutes at a time and work up to 10 minutes. As you and your child move some muscles, a bigger muscle will also be at work--the brain!

For a 38 page book of strategies to help your child improve in math, visit http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

Put Practice Into Play

The holiday break is upon us, and with it comes finding activities for the kids to do...besides watching TV. Consider setting aside a few minutes during each day for your child to practice basic (or advanced, depending on your child's level) math facts. Have him create a game like Jeopardy and play it against you, friends, and/or siblings. Of course, he probably knows the answers to all the questions since he made the game, but that doesn't make it any less fun!

Also, ask if the other people he'll be playing against wouldn't mind creating a game of their own. This will mean that your child has more practice and more fun.

Have your child write out important facts and time himself against himself. See how fast he can copy the facts the first time and record the information. Then have him do it a second time. Record that information. And so on. He should have a goal that he's working towards: i.e. "I'll copy these 20 facts down in 2 minutes." In this type of game, he competes with himself and it is just as fulfilling reaching your goal as it is winning a game when playing with someone else.

For a 38 page book filled with strategies, visit http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.

How Parents Can Help Their Children In Math Over the Holidays

Many of us are eagerly looking forward to the holidays. But the holidays are also an excellent time for parents to help their children excel in math.

Ways to Help Your Child in Math Over the Holidays

1. Instead of hiding the math folders on the bookshelf until the start of school, insist that your child study for a few minutes each day. Studying for as few as 10 minutes per day helps your child not only remember what he's already learned, but also learn new things he may have missed when they were originally brought up in class. Things to have him concentrate on are notes and textbooks from class, fundamental skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts, memorizing rules and theorems, and solving word problems.

2. Make grocery shopping a lesson. Tell your child your budget and have her estimate if you will be under or over budget after getting the items on your list. For older kids, have them estimate the tax as well and encourage them to help you come under budget. Do you need to wait to purchase a certain item, or go to a different store to make it happen?

3. Let your child help you with some of the cooking, especially the measuring. Although sometimes it is more difficult to cook when kids are in the kitchen, it is a chance for them to spend time with you and learn, sometimes without realizing it, about math. Resolve to have your child help you with at least one dish for the holiday meal. Aside from measuring, children can also be instrumental in determining how long a meal will take or how many minutes or hours until your guests will arrive.

4. Play games with your child. Of course Monopoly is a math based board game, but you don't have to play specific games to help your child achieve in math. Most board games help with analytical thinking so play, play play!

These are just a few ways to help your child in math over the holidays. Use them and continue to help your child become the best that he can be! For additional ways to help your child in math, I've written a simple book of strategies, much like the ones above. It can be accessed at http://HelpYourChildAchieveInMath.com.