My kids hate maths, please help!

[SamanthaE81]

Hello everyone, I was hoping some of you could give me some advice. My oldest hates maths and it has been so hard to motivate him to do his homework. My 2nd child is not as bad but is getting there. I understand hating maths but they still need to do their homework. How do you motivate your kids to do their maths homework? I have tried sitting with them and trying to be positive and motivating but it isn't working.

Also why do you think they hate maths? I have been thinking about this recently in my search to find a way to help them enjoy it as I feel that will make it easier for them to stay motivated. I wonder if it is because they are worried about getting it wrong. I am not sure. Any ideas?

Could you afford a tutor to help boost their confidence in maths?

I am afraid not 3WildOnes, I wish I could.

Are they good at maths and just find it boring or do they really struggle with it and therefore not enjoy it because it's difficult?

I do volunteering as a tutor (different subject, for a charity), maybe have a look around and see what there is. Some schools run schemes where they work in partnership with charities to provide free tutoring, might be worth a look? Or even if you can afford it, to pay for tutoring?

Things I'd suggest are:
Finding some you tube videos where the you tuber was an engineer and now makes videos designed to enthuse youngsters about maths. My son recently went through similar and he found a you tuber ( I will find out who he is) who completely changed his mind about maths. It was quite astonishing.
Playing maths games. David Walliams has a times table card game, which I used with my son and it did help.
I made my son a board for his wall and I write down sums or times tables for him to complete or we go over it together with no pressure.
Turning anything into a competition or game can be useful you just need to get creative. Tesco used to sell playing cards with sums on.
Watching videos about maths together. I know Khan academy have ones aimed at secondary age children. Not sure about primary.

Other posters will have good ideas I'm sure.

What age are they?

I think maths is often badly taught especially in primary schools.

I do think they struggle a bit, but I wouldn't say they are bad at it. I ask them why they hate doing it and they say all kinds of things like, 'It's boring', 'I hate numbers', 'I don't understand'.

I am not sure how accurate those answers are because when I try explaining, it still doesn't change their attitude. Recently we have ended up fighting because they won't do their maths homework. I feel so bad, I just want to help them. It's been hard for me to get a clear answer to why they don't want to do their maths homework.

Thank you so much for this, I will definitley try all of these. I have wanted to make it more fun for them but wasn't sure how. Thank you thank you!

I will also look for volunteer tutors, thank you. I am afraid I can't afford to pay a tutor at the moment.

My oldest is 13 and my youngest is 9.

You're welcome OP. Ok so for your 13 year old try Khan academy especially videos.

My son still cries over anything new. I can remember crying myself at that age but it need not be that way.

The Access Project is a good place to search possibly even e-mail making enquiries. They recruit via schools so children have to apply to get a place. I don't know the exact ins and outs of how they operate.

I'm DBS checked and they are thorough about getting referees so we are vetted. A search for volunteer tutors (making sure they aren't randoms, not that you would, but proper agencies rather).

i will get back to you regarding the you tubers names. Worth a try for the younger one.

Try TL Maths on Youtube. My son is HS and highly recommends this. He did really well in his recent Maths exams.

Here is the information I promised to pass on @SamanthaE81 :

*Maybe watch video yourself first to check you are happy with the content and age appropriateness, I sit and watch them with my son just in case (internet safety and all that) *

Mark Rober (you tuber, engineer, my son said he adds science/maths explanations to his videos)

Backyard Squirrelympics 3.0- The Summer Games
World's Largest T-Shirt Cannon (breaks the roof) - maths bit at 7 mins
Testing if Sharks Can Smell a Drop of Blood (disclaimer, blood sample being taken)
Plus many others...

Does Mark Rober swear in videos?
Though Mark Rober himself doesn't swear in the videos, some substitute words used in his videos may make parents feel a bit uncomfortable.

Videos he said helped him last year (primary year 3)
Fast 12 times table trick!!! "Intuitive Mindz"

Might be helpful
Nine times table | Multiplication hand trick "TiME OCR"
Active Maths Games "Dan Batty"

I think with a 13 year old I would stop trying to make it fun. At that age mine wanted to be listened to and were very quick to roll eyes at anything they perceived as adults trying to manipulate their opinion on anything.

What does his homework look like? Is it an online system like Sparks or ShowMyHomework, or paper sheets, or what?

*Sparx sorry autocorrect

Thank you very much.

How are you at math OP and do you enjoy it?

I have noticed some parents have a defeatist attitude towards math because they found it hard themselves and children pick up on this. I think it's important to approach math with a can do it attitude.
If DC finds a problem difficult then go back one stage, if that's difficult then go back another until you find what level they are not struggling with and build it back up again with a lot of practice. Math really does require a strong foundation so that the difficult concepts later are easier to understand.

I'd have a look at an app to help. A few I've looked at recently

Prodigy (a bit like Pokémon as you do maths puzzles in battles)
Doodle Maths/Tables
Duolingo maths
Numerise (Yr 6 upwards)

The only subject at school I hated was maths I think because the way it was taught provided no context or any idea how this would be useful to me in life.

I watched a great experiment years back where they set the classroom up like a crime scene and the kids had to use their maths and physics knowledge (times,angles etc) to solve the mystery. Looked like so much fun and the kids were really engaged.

Are you able to think of examples of how maths could be used for something else that they like so they can focus on the bigger picture not just the monotony of putting the numbers in the calculator?

I guess some people just hate maths.

I am one of them. Left school with the worst possible GCSE result which was unclassified. I just found the subject so intensely boring that I disengaged altogether.

Last year I had to (very, very painfully) complete my maths GCSE to enable me access to a masters degree that I am now currently on. It was fine and I passed and I don’t have a maths learning disability. Glad it’s over though.

Both my kids enjoy maths and I’ve been careful not to pass on my attitude to them. Hope you can find a solution.

Do they have any idea what they might want to do in the future? DD didn't like science, decided on a degree subject that is likely to require at least good science GCSEs and probably at least one A level and in a few weeks she turned her attitude around. She's 12, and a year later still loves science.

I hated maths at school. I’m a primary school teacher and I ended up specialising in teaching maths to those who don’t get it.

The big problem with maths is that you are either right or wrong, it’s not like English where you and the kid next to you could both write something totally different but be equally as good.

In maths we are far to quick to take away concrete objects and rely on just digits and memorising facts.
Try tackling problems using counters. Take it right back to number bonds to ten if you need to. Very often in primary teaching we jump to using digits too quickly. Worry about the method rather than the answer. For example, say ‘I think that 6x7=42. Here are 42 counters, prove it to me.’

Why do I hate Maths? I don't have dyslexia but I have taken part in the most excellent training that fully explains how words and letters can look to someone with dyslexia and it was really eye-opening.

I hate Maths because numbers do the equivalent thing in my head. I was lucky enough to have a tutor (that I endured) and I passed my GCSE at Grade C. That was down to rote learning but with absolutely no understanding of the concepts. I forgot it all immediately upon leaving the exam hall.

Later in life, I sat through many, bottom set classes in school as a TA. Many of these lessons were taught by the most excellent teachers but I just couldn't get the concepts to make any sense to me. Frustrating as hell but as an adult I don't consider myself to be thick - which I did when I was younger. My brain just doesn't bend that way. I have to Google how to calculate percentages all the time in work when I'm applying VAT because I can't remember. Oddly enough I enjoy a medium/easy Sudoku!

Evidence for this?

One of the problems is exactly the mindset that thinks in maths you're either right or wrong. I suggest you look at the work of Lakatos and the fallibility approach - it prevents learners believing maths is some esoteric, secret knowledge only accessible to some.

How do they learn best? One of mine watched lots of maths videos in order to pass maths gcse as he's a visual learner. His motivation was he needed the grade to go on to do what he wanted to do.
Another dc does his homework at after school homework club since starting secondary as finds it easier to concentrate/ get it done in school setting.
I have another dc who is very good at maths however hates it can't see the point of most of it and moans constantly about doing the homework I spend more time cajoling her than the other 2 put together even though she's more able. Usually break it down into only doing a few questions at a time, do it straight after tea before she gets sucked into doing something else and 'forgets' and stop if she gets to frustrated by it.