1. P4 Mathematics
Text
What can you do at home?

2. How to help your child with
mathematics
Communicate with the teacher
If you see that your child is struggling with a concept, send a note to the
teacher or send an email to discuss your concern
If you notice progress, share that good news with the teacher
Ask your child to explain
Encourage your child to teach you the day’s mathematics lesson
Ask questions about the steps your child uses to solve problems such as “Why
did you put that number there?” or “What does that zero mean?”

3. How to help your child with
mathematics
Use questions to help
instead of giving children answers, help them discover the answers
for themselves by asking prompting questions such as these:
Have you seen problems like this before? Is there an example that
might help you figure this out?
what is the problem asking you to do or to find?
What is one idea you have for finding an answer?
Can you draw a picture of the problem? Can you show the
problem using counters (coins, beans, pencils, etc.)?

4. How to help your child with
mathematics
Be accepting of mistakes
Let your child know that every mistake is an opportunity to learn
Ask your child to explain the process they used to find the answer and praise
them for the correct steps or thought process
Allow them another opportunity to solve a similar problem using their new
understanding
Play math games
Store bought games that involve mathematical thinking will help your child
master skills learned at school
I have a list for you to take home today

5. How to help your child with
mathematics
Share real-life mathematics situations
Think about ways that you can use math in your everyday life - at work, at
the store, at the bank, in the kitchen, and so on
Invite your child to observe or participate in these activities with you
encourage your child to think mathematically about common activities such
as folding laundry or taking out the garbage - How many socks in 12 pairs?
About how many pounds/kilos does a bag of trash weigh?

6. How to help your child with
mathematics
Give gifts that encourage mathematical exploration
Children love gifts that challenge their minds
A mathematics related gift is a good way to reinforce and reward your
child’s accomplishments
Some ideas: a watch, a timer, an hour glass, egg timer, a calendar, a tape
measure, a calculator, pattern blocks, brainteasers, 3-D building kits,
puzzles, maps, etc...