How to increase DS's (Y2) confidence in maths?

[gabsid]

I have posted before how I found DS being behind in maths at the start of the year (doing things like 3+4 in school), but he enjoyed it because it was easy. I worked with DS at home and he made amazing progress, he seems to be doing well now, however I have worked hard with him this year, and there were quite a few frustrating moments.

Despite having made so much progress, DS's confidence is still not great and that will hold him back. He is fine with what he knows and sometimes challenges himself with adding up beyond 100, but on the whole he is happy doing what he knows and moans when he sees anything faintly unfamiliar.

We had so many great moments when I explain that it is hard now but when I explain and he practices it will be OK, tomorrow it will be easy and the day after it will be for babies. But still, he is so easily frustrated and gives up at the slightest hurdle. Yesterday, I gave him a new worksheet with number sequences, e.g. 63, 65 (...) 69 which he can do easily but he saw a different format and said it was too hard, that's for Y3. I left it and this morning I bet him 5 smarties that it is easy, he did it and admitted that it was easy.

But we have that problem every time I introduce something new - he switches off. I think he does do the same at school, and I think that might be the reason he was left behind in the first place - I can't keep teaching him maths at home.

Any ideas?

It's really important to be encouraging rather than "pushy". At his age, worksheets are pretty boring. You will give him a big advantage if you go for fun and fluency (ie knowing all his number bonds up to 10 and 20, tables etc). Much of maths is knowing the relationships without having to think about it and this gives confidence. There are some excellent websites with fun maths practice you could encourage him to play on - the BBC ones are excellent.I'm sure you already do things like get him to estimate the cost of weighed fruit and veg in supermarkets, counting up the stairs in twos etc.
As you found with the Smarties, boys love a challenge so it's a good idea to build them in where you can. When you have pizza or pies, get him to divide it into quarters, thirds etc.

Hi gabsid:

I think I posted to you last time around too. Very similar problems with both DDs. I have various 'make it competitive' solutions to switching off/ melt downs with new concepts:

1. stop and try again later (maybe have a snack or just try again tomorrow)

2. spider - I make one of my hands act like a spider and rattle on the table whilst they're doing the problem and get nearer and nearer if they aren't working on it - until I tickle them. They now ask for spider to help them do their work.

3. I have them race their father. Both girls adore beating him - I don't think DH enjoys it (maths is a real weakness) - but it's fair and square and they are beating him more and more. I then have to deal with pouting DH, but he understands the evil method behind his torture.

Variety is always a good idea. If it is always worksheets your DS may be getting a bit board. Try doing a bit of game play on-line as well or through apps. Especially if it is something well catered for - like multiplication tables or inverse multiplication divisions. - Timez attack: www.bigbrainz.com/ or Tux of Math Command: tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/tuxmath/ are both great and geared toward your child's ability level. BBC bitesize - also resources through BBC Learning.

Card games can be great practice as well. So pick four cards - and make up as many different types of subtraction problems with them as you can. So 2, 5, King and Jack = 2, 5, 30 and 10 - so 35 - 12, 35 - 10, 10 - 5, 10 - 2, 60 (2 x 30) - 15 or 60 - 50 (5 x 10) and so on. Try and think out as many subtractions as possible and then do them in 2 minutes (egg timer great for this). Winner is the one with most problems.

Dice games. DDs like first to zero. So they take turns choosing a huge number - say 777 - and then keep rolling 2 dice (2 digits) + can pick 1 - 3 cards to make up to 9 when you roll double numbers (their choice) - so 777 - 85 (8 = roll of 5 + 3 card pick + roll 5). and so on and so on down to zero. No peaking and then check answers. First to finish gets the points (if you want to make it interesting).

HTH

Thanks for your ideas!

As PastSellByDate may know we have been doing the maths at home for a while now and I have worked out pretty much what motivates DS (and that changes) - the spider idea might be worth a try though! E.g. I wouldn't give DS a whole worksheet, I would ask him to do 3-5 of the exercises of a worksheet and then do 2 or 3 other things, short sessions, I chase him and when I catch him he has to answer questions, we do all sorts of online stuff. He is happy practicing what he knows, but if I try to take him a small step further he doesn't like it.

Games/card games he runs from, but it might be worth re-trying as he does like to win.

The main problem however is the introduction phase where I get that blank stare/moaning when I only mention or show him something new.

At least the summer term will be a time where we can mainly consolidate the Y2 stuff, so I hope there may be some time to work on his confidence.

Great ideas, after my disaster yesterday - I shall be looking at some of these too!

Thanks