Three easy ways to help your child learn maths – and it can be done in the car

Mathematics expert and mother-of-four Dr Ange Rogers reveals three simple ways parents can boost their children's numeracy skills without creating homework stress.

Helping your kids with their maths homework doesn’t have to require a teaching degree, Dr Ange Rogers writes.

My parents are both teachers, as are 12 of my uncles/aunties/cousins. You could say teaching is in my blood.

Over the years, I have observed schools from many perspectives.

Firstly, through the eyes of my parents who would share anecdotes each night at dinner, then for myself, as a student, primary school teacher, and more recently as a PhD researcher, university lecturer, and educational consultant.

Since my eldest started school 10 years ago, I have also experienced school through the eyes of my children.

My husband and I have four children. The eldest is 16 and the youngest is 6, so there is quite a spread of ages.

By my calculation, we will have at least one of our children attending our local Primary School for a total of 17 consecutive years. That is a lot of Book Week costumes!

Teacher Dr Ange Rogers likes to be the quizmaster on the way to school.

My passion is researching the most effective and efficient ways to teach Primary School Mathematics.

I work closely with schools and teachers across Australia, and over the years, working with my own children, I have developed some simple, streamlined, practical ways to help them with Maths.

For most people, their experience with Primary School Mathematics ended when they graduated to Secondary School- which seems a lifetime ago.

I can attest to the fact that Maths teaching and learning has changed a great deal since ‘back then’.

You may have noticed your children coming home from school using mathematical vocabulary, strategies and materials that are completely new to you.

This can feel perplexing and downright frustrating.

It was not until I had other parents sending messages saying: “Ange, I am trying to help Emily with her Maths, what on earth does [insert some Maths term] mean?” that I realised how disconcerting it can be when you want to help, but you don’t know how to help.

Trying to help your kids with their maths homework can be perplexing and frustrating.

Whether you are a librarian, fashion designer, plumber or an aeronautical engineer, we all use maths every day, and we all appreciate how important it is for our children to feel confident in their Mathematical abilities.

So, from one parent to another, I wanted to share three simple ways I help my own children in maths.

1. Don’t try to teach

My first piece of advice is to leave the teaching to the schools.

Methods, language, content and strategies have changed, so to avoid creating confusion, I believe it is best to stick to Maths fluency work at home.

That means, providing our children with extra opportunities to practice the skills that have been taught at school.

In Literacy, we don’t try to teach reading at home, we listen to our children read simple books so they can build their fluency. It is the same in maths. The beauty of Maths fluency practice is you can do it ‘on the run’- no book or materials are required.

2. Leverage travel time

As parents we are all busy. I don’t know about you, but finding time to sit every night with each of my children and work on ‘Maths’ is almost impossible.

So, years ago I gave up on that, and decided to leverage travel time.

My location of choice for Maths fluency practice is now the car (most often on the way to school).

Whether it is walking, on public transport, or in the car, there isn’t much for our children to ‘do’ while we travel (except argue!), so I make the most of my captive audience.

As we travel, I run a daily ‘Car Quiz’. I am the ‘Quizmaster’ and I ask each child 4-6 rapid fire Maths-related questions.

It takes a few minutes and then they can ask me one question each (but they must know the answer – which is secretly requiring them to do more maths).

It is possible to make learning maths fun, says Dr Rogers.

Below is an example of some questions I have asked my own children at different points through their schooling:

Foundation: One More or One Less (numbers 1-10)

For example: “What is one more than 3?” or “What is one less than 6?” (This lays important foundations for addition and subtraction in Year 1)

Year 1: Doubles (numbers 1- 10)

For example, “What is double 3?” or “What is double 5?” (This lays important foundations for learning the 2x multiplication facts in Year 2)

Year 2: Halving (numbers to 100)

For example, “What is half of 10?” or “What is half of 60?”. (This lays important foundations for multiplication strategies taught in Year 3)

Year 3: Addition and Subtraction (numbers to 1000)

For example, “What is 60+60?” or “What is 150-70?”. (This lays important foundations for further exploration of addition and subtraction in Year 4)

Year 4: Multiplication and Division Facts (up to 10x10)

For example, “What are 3 fours?” or “9 what's equal 45?” (This means ‘what is 3 multiplied by 4’ or, ‘what is 45 divided by 9’. By the end of Year 4 the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 requires students to be fluent with multiplication and division facts up to 10 x 10)

Year 5: Factors (numbers up to 100)

For example, “What are the factors of 12?” (This means what numbers can you multiply together to make 12? The answer is 1,12,6,2,3,4. This is a great way to keep reinforcing multiplication and division facts.)

Year 6: Percentage Discounts

For example, “There is a 25% off sale. If the regular price for a jacket is $80. What is the sale price?” (25% of $80 is $20, so $80 take $20 is $60)

The key to my ‘Car Quiz’ is the questions must be easy.

We are wanting to build fluency, confidence and their enjoyment of Maths. So, if your child is not quite up to the questions I suggested, don’t worry, just tweak the difficulty level.

Coming up with content for the car quiz is as simple as asking your child about what they are learning in Maths, and then making up questions that provide them the opportunity to practice those skills.

3. Get your game on

My final piece of advice is to play board and card games as often as you can with your children.

Once a fortnight we schedule a family ‘games night’. We play Uno, or Cluedo, or Trouble, or Checkers, or Spoons, or anything, together as a family.

I am yet to find a card or board game that does not involve some sort of maths: whether it be calculating risk, counting, adding, strategizing or problem solving- it all helps.

An added (pardon the pun!) bonus is we are all device-free, present, laughing (or crying!) and enjoying each other’s company.

Some of my favourite memories growing up were playing games with my family, and I am keen to help create those memories for my children too.

So, there you have it, three simple, no-fuss tips for helping your child with maths at home (well, technically not ‘at home’!) but you know what I mean.

Dr Ange Rogers writes a regular blog for teachers and has free maths resources on her website numeracyteachersacademy.com – you can also find her on Instagram at @numberdoctors

Originally published as Three easy ways to help your child learn maths – and it can be done in the car