Questions to ask when your child is doing math homework w What do you need to do first? w Tell me what you are doing. w What makes you say that? w How did you get that answer? w Help me understand. w What is the pattern? w What doesn’t make sense?

Remember, the questions should make your child think about what to do. They should be non-judgmental and open‑ended.

Ottawa Catholic School Board

Believing, Discovering, Achieving For more information or to order your copy of Parents as Partners in Education Workshop Package contact:

Questions for the teacher w How is my child doing in math?

Math Fun

w What will my child be learning? w What activities can we do at home?

Useful websites www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/ brochure/earlymath/ www.aplusmath.com www.school.discovery.com

Literacy & Basic Skills Program Continuing & Community Education 570 West Hunt Club Ottawa, ON K2G 3R4 CANADA Phone: (613) 224-2222

A Parent’s Guide

mathforum.org/dr.math/ www.webmath.com www.figurethis.org/ matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/vlibrary.html

WORKSHOP

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A project funded by the NATIONAL LITERACY SECRETARIAT of CANADA P_11_01

Math Fun

Math at home Kindergarten — Grade 2 w Use words such as, over, under, inside,

higher, lower. w Teach the difference between right and

left, more and less. Math skills are important to your child’s success at school and in everyday life. Your child will be happy to do math at home if you make it fun. It doesn’t need to take a lot of time or preparation. Sometimes you just need to ask a question or use things you have around the house.

w Ask your child to sort things — how are

they alike and how are they different? w Look for largest and smallest. w Build structures using boxes. w Draw and name shapes. w Make a pattern with small items, have

your child copy it. w Look for patterns.

How to help your child enjoy math

w Clap or jump in various patterns.

w Be positive about math — let your child

w Do counting rhymes together.

know you think it is important and fun. w Show confidence in your child. w Make math part of play. w Make connections between school

math and math in the everyday world. w Ask questions — encourage your child

to think. w Encourage her not to give up. w Praise effort, not just the correct

answer. w Find math in his favourite books.

w Bake with your child. w Read stories with math themes such as

Caps for Sale. w Play board games.

Math at home — Grades 3 – 6 w Point out ways you use math. w Point out how numbers are used around

your house. w Ask your child to tell you when she

spots new ways that numbers are used.

w Count money and change. w Bake or cook with your child; let him

measure ingredients. w Look for numbers on walks. Count the

number of shapes or cats you see. w Estimate the time for trips. w Estimate the cost of groceries. w Put a dollar value to each letter of the

alphabet (e.g. a=$1, b=$2) Give her some words and let her add the value of all the letters to find out which is the most expensive word. w Measure items in your house. w Fill containers with sand or water to see

which hold more or less. w Talk about time. w Read stories with math themes such as

The Greedy Triangle. w Play board and card games.

Questions to ask your child w What are you doing in math? w What math homework do you have? w What’s

interesting about the math you are doing?

w Count everything! Forwards, backwards,

by 2’s and 5’s. WORKSHOP

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