Making Math Fun

Little kids naturally love counting, sorting, doing puzzles, and discovering patterns. But once these activities get labeled "math," with daily doses of addition, multiplication, fractions, and long division, many children lose both confidence and interest. The standardized math tests that begin in fourth grade just add to the challenge, say experts. To make sure they're prepared, schools tend to introduce students to complex problems before they've mastered the basics. No wonder so many find the subject frustrating -- or that math scores among kids in the United States have declined compared with those of students in other countries. "It's important that young kids be math savvy, so they aren't intimidated when the curriculum accelerates and becomes more challenging," says Patricia Clark Kenschaft, PhD, author of Math Power: How to Help Your Child Love Math, Even If You Don't. To make sure that happens, don't schedule daily half-hour drills, which will just turn your child off. Instead, find ways to make it fun.