Oh, this is a tough one. In spite of all of the educational strategies used to make math more fun, it remains one of the most difficult and hated subjects for many students. Here are some ways to ensure that your student does not become one of those who struggle fruitlessly:

1) Start when a child is young, and show him how simple math concepts are useful to him. How many blocks did it take to build that house? How much money does he need to buy three kinds of candy? Be extremely careful to avoiding drilling him past the point where his interest wanes, or you'll do more harm than good.

2) Much math frustration is based on the fact that the student missed a key concept needed to build other concepts. Avoid this problem by always asking for the homework if a child is out sick, and making sure the child understands what was missed. At the first sign of trouble, enlist the teacher's help. Private tutors can be immensely helpful when the problem is too entrenched for you and the teacher to resolve it.

3) Many students lose interest in math because it tends to be extremely abstract. "When will I ever need this?" they may ask. Explain to your student how he'll need math to figure out dosages if he wants to be a pharmacist or a doctor, to make accurate measurements if he wants to be an architect, and so on. Let him know that math can teach him how to think as well, and thus benefit him in all areas of endeavor. Play math and logic games to sharpen his skills.

4) If math comes easily to you, its easy to lose your temper when helping with homework. Avoid this at all costs. or you'll destroy your student's confidence and convince him that math is incomprehensible. If your spouse is a better teacher, enlist his or her help. If you can't find anyone to do the job, hiring it done will be money well spent.

5) Although I've used the male pronoun for simplicity, these rules are even more important for girls. I once fretted to a teacher that my daughter was having difficulty with math, to which she replied, "Oh well, math is for boys." Rest assured that if you hold similar attitudes, or if you expect your daughter to do more poorly than your son, your expectations will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are a mother who enjoys math and/or works with it on a daily basis, make sure your daughter knows this. Try to provide your daughter with female role models who are successful in mathematical and technical fields.

5) Make sure your student knows that doing well in math may and probably will benefit him in the future, and is not something he does just to please you. Even if your child wants to be an actor and believes he'll never use higher math, encourage him to keep his options open by doing as well as possible.

6) When math problems come up in daily life, make sure your student figures out his own answers as soon as he's able. If your child can't go to the movies until he figures out how much the tickets and snacks will cost, he'll soon become more proficient at math.

Learn more about this author, Emily Wickersham.
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