As we count down the days before our children return to school, we are also counting the money going out the door on the added expenses such as school uniforms, school clothes, school supplies, doctor appointments, dentist appointments, and school fees to just be a few . We are also counting the number of school holidays, counting how many students are in their classes, counting the number of friends they know or will meet. These are just a couple of things we are ‘COUNTING”! Why you ask, why all the referencing to “COUNTING”. Here’s why. My children the other day were having a conversion regarding why or why not math was important. I have 4 BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, but they have their moments just like everyone else. So, 3 against 4, the battle began. I listened to my children tell my daughter Jocelyn why math was so important. How you would need it the rest of your life. It was a very funny conversion to say the least.
Anyhow, I bring this to your attention today, cause as school is closing approaching us and many times there is material on having your “child” read for the summer. Yes, don’t get me wrong, READING is extremely important. BUT, MATH is just as important and should be. It is the foundation of how we live our lives day in and day out. Its our way of providing. So I have found a way over the summer and going into this school year for my children to keep their math skills just as fresh as their reading skills.
1. School Clothes shopping: As hard as it may be, this works. When I was a kid, my mom literally gave us $200 cash. She handed it over and said, “This is what you get to get back to school in fashion”. Once it is gone, that’s that. She didn’t play either. So, off to the mall me and my sister (who is only 17 months younger than me). Every year, I would get 10 outfits and my sister literally got 3. My point behind this, teaching our kids budgeting. Live with what you pay for. To this day, I use this method and have pasted it on to my kids. It works, cause my 15 year son, now will say, “i will buy it with my own money”.
2. School Supplies: I give my children their list to organize. I recently had a parent tell me, they get a set amount of money to their children for this, take them to the store and tell them, you must get all your school supplies on your sheet, if you have any money left over, you get to keep it. So in the end the kids learn how to budget .
So these are two ways of keeping your children’s math skills in shape along with these others:
http://www.math-drills.com/
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/05/five-great-math-apps/
