We were VERY LUCKY when our DS started in school, and the small village school did run evening sessions for parents, one on how to read with your child, and another on various aspects of numeracy. They handled it very well, with the teachers acting out different scenarios of how - and how not - to do things, acting the part of uncooperative pupils, or insensitive parents, etc.
But I'm afraid that was twenty-five years ago, before teachers had been ground down to the extent they are today, and school life was somewhat more relaxed. So I doubt if many teachers would have the will, or the strength, to do evening sessions for parents. When DS was in Reception I asked his teacher why he didn't seem to be learning any 'maths'. She explained to me how it was taught. A few weeks later, when I went as a helper on a countryside field trip, we saw some tall foxgloves, and the teacher got me to stand beside them. One was taller than me, and I am 5'10". At the end of term DS brought home a rolled up length of wallpaper, about 2m long, on which he had painted a picture of me, and a bit taller, a pink foxglove! It had pride of place on the kitchen door, for months in not years.
(I went on to become a TA at other schools for twelve years, plus ten years as voluntary helper in different settings.)
You don't really need this yet, but I will give you my standard Numeracy information that I pass to parents with queries on maths:
QUOTE:
Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.
Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.
Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths work, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.
So:
ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other
etc, etc
then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.
To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:
x2, x4, x8
x3, x6, x12
5 and 10 are easy
7 and 9 are rather harder.
Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."
Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.
Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.
With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.
It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.
I am sorry it seems complicated trying to explain these concepts, but using Lego or counters should make understanding easier.
An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.
There are good web sites, which can be fun to use, and the BBC sites are also useful :
www.ictgames.com/
www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html
UNQUOTE
PS: Enjoy it when the time does finally come!