For all those whose kids are struggling......

[ICantFindAGoodNickname]

...and of course to have a little boast.
My ds(2) has moved 4 sub-levels in Numeracy this year.

He was graded at 1B at the end of
Year 1 and we've just had his KS1 Sats results and he is now 2A in Numeracy.

I'm so proud - he has worked hard to achieve this - with a little help from me. At the end of Year 1 he hated Maths and yesterday he described it as his favourite subject - result!

[lovecheese]

Aww well done to your son - the fact that he now enjoys maths is indeed a result, regardless of levels IYKWIM - an enthusiasm for a subject is great.

[THK]

Congratulations ! it will be a great start to the new term having finished so well and positively.

[Carolinemaths]

Great news! So share with us the magic formula!

[cpbp]

That is super and yes, what is the secret of your success!

[taffetacatski]

congratulations to you both

[ICantFindAGoodNickname]

No real magic

I took his end of year report and noted the long list of things he couldn't do, then I investigated various ways to reinforce the concepts.

Unfortunately he already knew he was crap at Maths due to something which happened in the classroom so I explained to him what we were going to do. I tried to empower him to believe he could change things, he wanted to be better at Maths and he wanted to enjoy it. His motivation was that he could get better, I could help but ultimately it was him that would change things - he liked that.

I changed the approach every day, using board games, cooking, physical games (score keeping), websites, practical counting involving smarties which would then be eaten. Or lego, pasta, beads etc
Some things he found very boring so I went away to think of other activities to reinforce. If he didn't get something immediately I explained it was because I hadn't found the right way to explain it yet, which was mostly the truth.

I kept a note of the things I did everyday, so as not to get into a rut and to make sure I was covering everything. We spent 10 mins a day.

By the end of the summer he was confident in Year 1 Maths, when he started in Sept he was more alert in class - he no longer felt out of his depth. He became very aware of his level of undersatnding and would come home and tell me when he didn't get something in class and we'd go over it at home.

Half way through the year we got Maths Whizz which assessed him way below his real level but I was more than happy with that as again he consolidated ideas and really, really enjoyed the games. I continued to work with him but was a little more hands off - that was his choice as he could now do it himself!

Going into Year 3 I will continue to take a keen interest in his Mathematical understanding, but I get the feeling that he will no longer just accept not understanding it at school - he knows that I'm here to explain a concept to him in a million different ways if needed.

[claig]

fantastic, well done. You both deserve a medal. Getting things right is great fun, his confidence is increasing all the time. Great to hear that maths is now his favourite subject.

[Carolinemaths]

That sounds great! I'd love to interview you for my blog! Please pm me. It's so important that parents know that this CAN be done

[forehead]

OP,i must congratulate you. I went through he same thing with my dd who actually hated maths so much ,that she would cry throughout the maths lessons at school. I did something similar to what you have done. It was bloody hard work, but you know what, my daughter received a certificate for outstanding progress in maths. I am soooooo proud and shows you that if you as a parent takes an active interest in your child's work they can do very well.

[Mowgli1970]

That's fab! My dd is nearly 10 and struggles with Maths. I'm going to subscribe to Maths Whizz too!