Teaching Math

I wrote the following response (a bit edited) to a mom asking about teaching math to her 8 yo child that was having problems with facts.

Personally, I think we expect our kids to do math at a younger age than necessary. A few years ago I discovered that math was not even taught to kids 150 years ago until they were 11. Kids living before the 1600’s did not study math until they were 16. All that aside, I would be patient with your child. I worked with a child that really struggled with math until this last year (9th grade). When this child was in 2nd grade (private school) I did not think math facts had been learned well (or ever would). When this child started homeschooling in 3rd grade every manipulative and help for learning your facts that I could find was bought. Finally in 6th grade this child was taken off math studies from Sept to Jan. This helped change the negative attitude about math, as well as give everyone a break. When math was resumed math in January, the child received an addition and multiplication facts chart for to use anytime he wanted to use it. Needless to say, it took awhile to do the work. This child was still counting to get some answers (yes, in 6th grade still counting). He understood the process, but just could not remember the number facts. It wasn’t until 8th grade that he quit using the facts charts. I’m not telling you this story to depress you, but to encourage you that some kids take longer to grasp some concepts. This year in Algebra everything seemed to click. Most math work was done on his own and A’s were made on most tests.

If you decide to homeschool, I’d allow your child to take her time to do her studies. That’s the beauty of homeschooling. I can’t think of any reason you must learn something by a certain age, except that the government tells us so. (That’s coming from a former public school teacher…me) Some kids learn things at different ages. I don’t have any specific program for your daughter to use, but would say start where she is now, even if it seems like she is on a kindergarten level. Work with her each day for a short period of time. If you extend it too long, both of you will become frustrated. You might have a short time in the morning and a short time in the afternoon to study. Use manipulatives so she can “see” what you are explaining. Math is very abstract for a child under 12 if they do not have visuals.

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