Homework Help

How can your support your child’s mathematical development?

1) Show a positive attitude to maths.

Often, we leave school with negative experiences of maths lessons and never really get over it.  We are often happy to say “I hated maths when I was at school, “or, “I’m no good at maths.”  When children hear this, it rubs off and has a real impact.  At Clifford Road Primary, we have a “Can Do” attitude to maths and it is our belief that everyone can achieve in maths at a high level.

2) Involve your child in real life mathematical problems.

How much paint to buy for a room, measuring up for new curtains, cooking times, scaling recipes up or down, budgeting and saving.  All of these scenarios give real experience of maths and show that what they learn in the classroom has a genuine application.

3) Value maths

Even if your child says “I’m going to be a footballer when I grow up – I don’t need maths,” point out that there is a lot of money in football, which needs looking after.  Not to mention the spatial awareness during the game and health and fitness statistics which are monitored.  Maths is everywhere!

4) Enjoy maths

Let your child see you doing a Sudoku or other logic puzzle.  Play mathematical games together such as Yahtzee, Monopoly or card games.

5) Talk about maths

Ask what they have learned at school that day and how they have learned it.  If children are able to demonstrate their learning to another person, it is a key indicator of the depth of their understanding.

The internet can be a valuable source of knowledge for you, as well as your child.  If there is something in their homework you are unsure of and aren’t able to see the class teacher about it, there are some helpful websites out there:

www.khanacademy.org       - demonstrations

www.familymathstoolkit.co.uk – advice and ideas

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-with-maths - ways to help with younger children

Just try Googling “How can I help my child with maths?”

Don’t just take our word for it – here’s what the experts say:

• Professor Brian Cox, “I’m not a natural mathematician but few people are...you have to practice.”
• Marcus du Sautoy (Professor of Maths at University of Oxford), “Think of having a mathematical muscle in your mind that with practice gradually gets stronger.” I particularly like this idea of a “mathematical muscle.”
• Colin Hegarty (UK maths teacher short-listed for the Global Teacher prize), “Do some maths every single day. Maths is one of those things you need to practice regularly.”

Have fun learning with your child!

Supporting your child with reading:

We relax when we listen to a text and we become used to the text. We observe punctuation signals and the rhythm of sentences. It can create emotions of happiness or sadness, frighten or amuse us, and can invigorate and refresh us. When the time comes to tackle the print, we feel prepared and replay the memory of what we heard and felt in our heads.

Reading to your child

The good news is that reading to your child is a free activity! It won't cost you a penny to entertain your child with a book.The Ipswich libraries are free to join and the school has plenty of books that can be borrowed.

A child is never too old to be read to. It is essential that as the children get older, they continue to develop their familiarisation of new words, sentence structures and texts.

Find time everyday. A child that is read to has twice as many words in their vocabulary as a child who isn't read to. Studies show that they tend to be less anxious at school and achieve significantly better than children who are not read to.   

Remove phones and other distractions. Share the book and so that the child can see the text and the pictures if there are any. 

Let your child interrupt if they have questions about the text or pictures. You can do this too. It is important that children see the link between reading and thinking.