Math often gets a bad rap for being “boring” or “too hard,” but it doesn’t have to be that way! By making math engaging and relatable, you can turn your child’s apprehension into excitement. As a Savvy Learning coach, I see students get interested in learning when I show them how they will use math skills in real life.  

Here are five proven strategies, updated with the latest insights from educational research, to get kids enthusiastic about math while aligning with the principles of the Science of Reading for cross-disciplinary learning.

1. Connect Math to Your Child’s Passions

Kids engage more with math when it intersects with things they already love. Make math part of their favorite activities or hobbies to help them see it as relevant and fun.

• For Bookworms

   Introduce math-themed stories like Math Curse, Life with Fred or Sir Cumference, and the First Round Table. These books weave math concepts into creative narratives, making math a natural part of storytelling.

• Outdoor Enthusiasts

   Take math outside! Try activities like counting leaves, estimating the height of trees using shadows, or creating scavenger hunts that require solving math riddles to find the next clue.

• Young Artists

   Use art to teach geometry. Create colorful tessellations, cut out shapes to learn about angles or design patterns that explore symmetry. Combine math with crafting by introducing graph paper to design pixel art.

By embedding math into activities they already enjoy, children will see it as a tool for discovery and creativity.

2. Teach Math with Food

Food is a universal motivator, and it offers countless opportunities to sneak in math lessons.

• Fraction Practice

   Use pizzas, pies, or even cookies to teach fractions by dividing them into equal parts. Discuss concepts like halves, quarters, and thirds while enjoying a snack together.

• Counting and Sorting

   Have your child count out ingredients or sort snacks (like pretzels and raisins) into groups by size or shape.

• Measurement and Estimation

   Let your child help in the kitchen by measuring ingredients for a recipe. Turn it into a game by asking them to estimate how many teaspoons of sugar make up a tablespoon or how much flour fills a cup.

Food-based activities are hands-on, making math concepts more tangible and relatable.

3. Turn Math into a Game

Gamification can transform math from a chore into a thrilling challenge.

• Digital Games

   Apps like Prodigy Math Game, DragonBox, ABCya, or Khan Academy Kids offer engaging ways for kids to practice math at their level, using storytelling, rewards, and interactive puzzles to maintain interest.

• Card Games

   Games like War can teach number comparison, while Go Fish reinforces counting. For more advanced learners, try using a deck of cards to play games like Nertz, Solitaire, or Spades to teach sequence and grouping. 

• Board Games

   Family classics like Monopoly teach addition, subtraction, and budgeting. Yahtzee builds skills in probability and multiplication, while chess and checkers improve logic and problem-solving. Rummikub teaches sequence and working memory skills.

Games not only teach math skills but also develop critical thinking and persistence in problem-solving.

4. Use Visuals to Simplify Concepts

Visualizing math helps children understand abstract ideas and see patterns more clearly.

• Watch Math Videos

   Platforms like YouTube and PBS Kids offer updated content, including math animations and songs. Newer options like Numberblocks for younger learners or Mathantics for older kids combine entertaining visuals with strong educational value.

• DIY Visual Aids

   Encourage your child to create their own number lines, bar graphs, or flashcards. For geometry, have them craft 3D shapes out of paper to explore volume and surface area.

• Interactive Tools

   Use manipulatives like pattern blocks, geoboards, or virtual tools to make concepts like fractions, area, and ratios come alive.

Visual tools cater to various learning styles and make math more approachable and engaging.

5. Celebrate Mistakes as Learning Opportunities

Math can feel intimidating when mistakes are treated as failures. Help your child develop a growth mindset by reframing errors as chances to learn and improve.

• Normalize Mistakes

   When working through problems, praise effort and curiosity over correctness. Say, “It’s great that you tried—what can we learn from this?”

• Learn Together

   If a concept is new to you, explore it alongside your child. Show them that learning is a lifelong process by saying, “Let’s figure this out together!”

• Focus on Strengths

   Point out what your child is doing well and build on that. For example, “You got the first part of the problem right—let’s see how we can tackle the tricky part together.”

Encouraging a positive attitude toward mistakes helps build confidence and perseverance, two essential traits for success in math.

Bonus Tip: Personalize Math with Savvy Learning

If you’re looking for tailored support to help your child excel in math, Savvy Learning offers expert tutoring programs designed to make math fun and engaging. With personalized lessons and interactive sessions, we help kids build skills and confidence in a supportive environment. Take a free assessment today and unlock your child’s potential!

By applying these strategies, you’ll make math more enjoyable for your child and help them build a strong foundation for academic and life success.

If you need some extra help getting your child excited about math — or would like to take their skills up a notch — Savvy Learning is right here. We offer instructional help for grades 2-5 and hold classes four days a week for 25 minutes each. Take a free assessment today and see if Savvy’s for you.