Years 3 to 6

As a teacher and as a parent, I completely agree with the research that states one of the most accurate  predictors of a child’s success in school and beyond is when families participate in the learning journey together. How is this done in mathematics? Easily! The main objective is for children to connect the importance of maths to everyday activities.  There are many activities you can do at home to achieve this. Here are a few recommendations from the Department of Education. Remember, it is not about speed. Focus on the process and not the outcome.

SPORTS - Sports are a great way to engage in mathematical discussions. Some discussions that could take place involve - How scores are tallied; what maths is needed to tally the scores; who is at the top of the ladder - by what total and percentage; how long does the game go for and is it broken into halves or quarter (extend that to time in minutes and seconds); discuss the shapes of sporting fields; estimate the perimeter of the playing field and can Carlton make the GF 2019?

WEATHER - The bonus of Melbourne’s ever-changing weather is the data it gives us. Ask about the daily difference in maximum and minimum temperature, what pattern or trends do your children notice? Compare forecasted weather against actual. Even use the BOM website to generate tables and graphs.

CATALOGUE BROWSING - What a great resource to discuss money and percentages! How would your child choose to spend $40 in that catalogue? What is the best value sale item in that catalogue? What would 10%, 25%, 50% discount be on select items? Compare costs across stores - make sure they’re Australian sites!

TRAVEL TIMETABLES - For children going to high school next year or anywhere really - can they find the closest station to where they live; how would they get to their destination; if they needed to be somewhere particular by noon, what time should they leave; what is the cost of the travel; how many stops on the route; when is the quickest time to travel? All real- life investigations.

MONEY - Saving and spending money is very important to learn. Talk to your child about the change you should receive from your purchase, investigate the cost of a family trip, discuss saving money for an item they really want, work out how long it will take if they earn $2 each week for doing extra chores, look at the cost of mobile phones and plans and discuss the 50/20/30 budget rule.

And most importantly, have fun doing maths together!

NOTE - For parents of students in Years Prep to 2, some tips and ideas will be coming for you in an upcoming newsletter.