Using teamwork to help your child gain knowledge in Maths

Ever felt the difference when your kids play in a group? There’s so much of positive vibes and a lot of interaction that follows. I love the way my little one chirps when she is playing a computer game or a board game with her friends or cousins. Leverage this opportunity and encourage team work in maths as well. The same math concepts when done in a team using different fun methods makes a whole lot of difference.

Research says that playing social maths games in classrooms strengthens students’ mathematical skills and encourage strategical thinking. Moreover, there’s also noted improvement in their computational fluency. Math practice aims to improve student numeracy, problem-solving and communication strategies while improving their engagement and confidence in Math. To make children engage in math, social platforms and teamwork should be used. While communicating and team-working, children are bound to learn more and know more. How?

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• Asking questions – Tapping into their thinking process by asking questions is a beneficial process. The importance of posing critical questions during math lessons enhances their learning experiences.
• Following up – Trying to communicate with their work by following up with children is important. Use their conversations as assessment or to clarify what they were trying to communicate through their work.
• Moderation – Setting aside time to moderate children’s’ work is vital. It is very helpful to hear student reflections on their work and processes.
• Respecting choices – While it requires all the team members to respect each other’s point of view and skills, it also encourages communication, interpersonal skills, and exchanging of actions and ideas. This is especially true when they are playing indoor or outdoor games, or mathematics board games.
• Challenges and competition – Teamwork inspires children to be more competitive with other teams, especially in activities that require physical involvement. Outdoor math games are the best examples when they are running.
• Collaborating – Involvement in collective mathematics project like solving math problems using worksheets at home will encourage their role in the team.
• Providing opportunities – Providing opportunities for children to engage in mathematical activities can also encourage them to explore number combinations, place value, patterns, and other important mathematical concepts.
• Playing – Playing in a team get children focus their attention on math, and the game/activity change their brain state and create a positive frame of mind.

Ways to infuse teamwork in math

Take them out in the open for some learning

Engaging kids in outdoor activities in a group not just helps in participation and bonding, it also helps enhance their personality. We can try a few games like these K-5 kids:

• Make use of water guns and help them learn more about shapes. Draw different shapes on the outside wall of the building or fence and ask them to spray on the right shape as soon as you call out one. The one who identifies the maximum number of correct shapes stands to win prizes.
• Colourful toy eggs and a few props will help create a fun game that’s suitable for 4 or more kids. Whoever collects the most eggs with the correct answers is the winner.

Print and play math games

There are umpteen websites these days that offer mathematics worksheets and printables. However, I prefer the ones that make the entire concept fun with colorful stories and cartoon characters that attract the kid’s attention and keep them engaged till the end. Find these story-telling math worksheets and involve your kids and friends in a fun filled math learning session. Some other places where you can find mathematical activities for kids are mathplayground.com, primarygames.com and topmarks.co.uk

Skill building and bonding with math board games

There are some pretty cool mathematics board games also available online that aim to not just help your kids build math skills for different grades, but also encourage team work, bonding and helps them stay motivated.

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