helping ds(8) with maths over holiday

[southeastastra]

he really doesn't seem to get it very well and has extra help - anything i can do myself over the holidays do you think that is fun? i don't want to bombard him with sheets, learning that way doesn't seem to do much!

he's going into year 5 and i'm very worried

What doesn't he get about maths? Do you think he needs help with the basic skills?

There are lots of ways to incorporate basic numeracy into everyday life without him noticing (adding, subtracting). Get him to do calculations based on till receipts. 'I bought 12 oranges and they cost £1.44, how much were they each?'

If he can do 'pure' maths but struggles with problem solving then set him little problems to solve as part of a treasure hunt. Maybe each little sum gives a letter of the alphabet which he can put together to make a clue for the next location?

There are also maths based board games out there as well as interactive computer ones on the net.

Let him to count money in your purse.
My friend's son improved dramatically after his dad who is a cab driver was asking his son to count all money from week's takings, most of them in coins
the reward was an agreed price if he got it right

recalculating simple recipes works well too
how many seeds to sow on the allotment plot/little patch of garden you are going to give him to look after
caclulate watering needs/feeds etc
let him plan and budget his next birthday party/family bbq
those can include visits to shops to gather prices or checking them on websites

boys like practical application for maths

Mathletics on the computer is good. It costs 39 pounds a year.

I'll be joining you on this southeastastra. DS has just finished Year 2 and his basic maths understanding is very poor He missed a whole term of school due to illness and is now even more behind. I'm not sure how he is ever going to catch up and I'm really worried how he will cope in Yr3.

Kayah has some great ideas but do make sure his arithmetic is strong, even if you have to go back to 1+1. You don't have to give DS worksheets, just ask him questions orally with a timer (say 2mins).

The key is to increase the difficulty of the questions gradually. Here's my DIY Kumon approach

Apart from that, my DS loves number rich books like Ripley's Believe It ot Not and The Guinness Book of Records, leave them lying around the house so he can see the fun side of maths!

Maths bingo! Play with all the family. I had a secondary school teacher win would do this ar a friday afternoon treat. Twas very effective and can be changed depending on what you want to teach at that moment and recall stuff you have worked on previously as a refresher.

I agree - basics first

if you want to check his understanding of maths I am sure there are great resources on the net but timestables need to be learned by heart (eventually )

I have at home an A1 timestable poster 1-12
used a lot in the last few years

is good to have some way to record his progress, to show him that he is actually learning

so keep worksheets and show him in 6 weeks time how far he's gone - boys love seeing that in their own eyes

in maths selfconfidence is as important as anything else
they should be allowed to make mistakes and try and be bold to ask for help without getting frustrated

one tip which I think is great - when he makes a mistake don't let him rework why he's made that mistake
let him do this calculation again from scratch

if he fails again - that highlights area where he's missing some bits of knowledge, if he did it properly, it shows he wasn't concentrating etc so in a way prize is due for knowing and then he will tell you (as mine does) why he made that mistake

handy way to remember 9x table

www.vijayabodach.com/Magical%20Number%20Nine.htm

thanks all, lots to explore!