Maths help at home booklet
Foundation and Key Stage 1
As your child moves from simple counting and adding to becoming a fluent
mathematician, it is not always clear –especially to parents who are not
confident mathematicians – how to help. But in fact our help is crucial, and can
be the difference between success and failure.
Golden Rule
Whatever you do, make sure your children enjoy it.
If they struggle to understand, make mistakes, or get bored: keep calm, make
it easier, change the subject, tell them a joke, play football, go to the park ….
but please don’t get cross or impatient – do not say you were no good at maths
when you were at school-you could put them off maths for life. Actually making
mistakes or getting stuck is a great way to develop our learning skills - make it
into a positive rather than a negative. Maths is all about taking risks and trial
and error so the act of perseverance is crucial in order to succeed. Getting it
wrong is ok!! Trying lots of different strategies is also ok!!
Generally the advice is;
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Talk about and involve children in the situations in which you use maths in
everyday life;
Play games involving numbers and/or logic, such as card games, dominoes,
darts, draughts, chess etc.;
Stimulate their thinking at times of boredom, (such as when travelling), with
mental activities;
Check with the school for any specific help which would be useful. Also check
the methods they are teaching with your child’s teacher.
The following gives a very rough idea of appropriate activities but any number
games that the children enjoy are great
For all ages
One very good idea which is appropriate for any level, so the whole
car/bus/train/plane can be involved.
Ask the question:
'The answer is 10 (or any number), what’s the question? '
Possible responses:
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8 plus 2
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1 million divided by one hundred thousand
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5x2
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25 - 15
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2.5 times 4
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the number before 11
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9999 subtract 9989
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the square root of 100
This is a brilliant activity because: there's no failure; it stimulates thinking
about and stretching knowledge of numbers and mathematical relationships; it's
good fun.
Look out for car number plates. What is the number on the plate? What is this
to the nearest 10 or 100 or 1000? How many more would you need to reach the
next multiple of 10, 100 or 1000?
Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 (3 – 7 years)
Mental activities
• Practise chanting the number names. Encourage your child to join in with you.
When they are confident, try starting from different numbers – e.g. 4, 5, 6…
Also try counting backwards.
• Sing number rhymes together – there are lots of commercial CD’s
available.
• Give your child the opportunity to count objects (coins, pasta, shapes, buttons
etc.) Encourage them to move each object as they count them.
• Count things you cannot touch – window panes, jumps, claps, oranges in a bag.
• Play games that involve counting – e.g. snakes and ladders, dice games.
• Look for numerals in the environment – e.g. door numbers
Or road signs
• Make mistakes when chanting, counting or ordering numbers. Can your child
spot what you have done wrong?
• Counting in 1s, then 2s or 10s, e.g. as you climb stairs, walk
to the local shop etc.
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Chose a number of the week e.g. 5. Practice counting in 5’s, up to 5 (50, 500,
5 000, 50 000), on from 5, collect groups of 5 items.
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Simple addition/subtraction calculations, e.g. 5 + 2, 10 - 7 for Y1, developing
to 15 + 2, 25 + 2, 25 + 12, 20 - 7, 30 - 7, 30 - 17 and beyond in Y2. ‘What’s 32
+ 14? How did you work it out?’
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The answer’s 5, what’s the question?
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It’s important children learn number bonds to 10 e.g. 4 + 6 = 10 and number
bonds to 20 e.g. 14+6 = 20 by heart. Play ‘ping pong’ to practice components
with your child. You say a number and they reply with how much more is
needed to make 10, 20, 100 or 1000. Encourage your child to answer quickly
without counting or using fingers. E.g. make 100 you shout 40 they shout 60
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Throw two dice. Ask your child to find the total of the numbers
(+), the difference between them (-) or the product (x).
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Use a set of playing cards (without the picture cards). Turn over two cards
and ask your child to add or multiply the numbers. If they answer correctly,
they keep the cards. How many cards can they collect in two minutes?
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Play 24 with a pack of playing cards using all of them. You need 4 players
each puts a card down and first one to make 24 using any or all of the 4
operations and using all or some of the cards. First one to
make number keeps all the cards. E.g. you put down a Jack , 2
hearts, 7 spades and 2 clubs. You could say 2x Jack add 2
hearts.
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Play Bingo. Each player chooses five answers (e.g. numbers to 10 to practice
simple addition, multiples of 5 to practice the five times table etc.). Ask a
question and if a player has the answer, they can cross it off. The winner is
the first player to cross off all their answers.
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Give your child an answer. Ask them to write as many number sentences as
they can with this answer. You could just ask for addition sentences or any
type of calculation.
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Give your child a number fact e.g. 5 + 8 = 13. Ask them what else they can
find out from this fact 50 + 80 = 130, 8 + 5 = 13, 13 – 8 = 5, 130 – 50 = 80
etc.
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Look out for car number plates. What is the number
on the plate? What is this to the nearest 10 or 100
or 1000? How many more would you need to reach the
next multiple of 10, 100 or 1000?
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Make up rhymes together to help your child remember tricky times tables.
Everyday situations
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Sorting things out and putting things away, e.g. shopping, toys, cutlery, and
clothes. Talk about which things go together and where things go, giving
clear instructions for position such as ’in the cupboard, on the bottom shelf‘.
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Matching pairs of socks, shoes, gloves.
Ordering and sequencing when getting dressed, going to the shops, having a
bath etc. Talk about what you do first, what you do next, and last of all.
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Comparing objects according to size, weight or capacity, e.g. the longest
spoon, the lightest shopping bag, the cup which holds the most, the shortest
person, the widest hand, the bottle which is half full.
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Matching and counting when setting the table, preparing food, sharing out
food, etc.
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Counting, weighing, measuring capacity and timing when cooking
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Talking about time, referring to the clock at different times throughout the
day, (preferably a clock with hands), setting times for certain events, e.g.
‘We’ll have lunch at 1 o’clock, timing events, e.g. ‘How long will it take to wash
the dishes?’
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Handling small amounts of money when shopping,
counting small totals.
Play activities/games
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Talking about directions when walking around or
playing with toy vehicles etc. (e.g. forwards,
backwards, straight on, turn left/right.)
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Making models with building bricks, Lego, boxes etc. Talk about shape and
position; count the number of similar shapes etc.
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Playing games involving matching, recognising numbers and
shapes or counting such as snap, pairs (pelmonism), dominoes,
board and dice games (e.g. snakes and ladders).
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Counting particular things on journeys, e.g. red cars, fields with cows in,
churches etc.
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Sharing books. Sit together when you read to
children so that they can follow the pictures. Go
back over the story and talk about the order of
events, the number, position and shape of things
Remember!
Be positive even if you don’t feel it.
Ask your child to explain to you how they are doing their maths. (It may be
different to the way you were taught)
‘Talk’ to them about and involve them in everyday maths.
Ask the teachers if you have any questions about the maths
your child is doing.
Have fun!