ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Spiders, the boogeyman, and things that go bump in the night. Kids are afraid of so many things, but could a parent’s fear also rub off on them, especially when it comes to school achievement?
Did you know that about 30 percent of workers around the world use algebra at least once a week as part of their job? As the need for advanced math skills in high-demand STEM jobs grows, deep-rooted math anxiety may be holding students back. But how can parents turn that around, early on?
Researchers at the University of Chicago had a group of first graders participate in math story time with parents at home. They found that the kids who did short numerical story problems significantly increased their math achievement throughout the school year, compared to kids who only read at home. This was especially true for kids whose parents were anxious about math. So parents, use everyday activities like cooking dinner, setting the table, and reading stories together as opportunities. These small math interactions can go a long way toward building your child’s math confidence.
The app that was used in the study with the first graders was called Bedtime Math. It is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Android. It is also available in both English and Spanish.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Supervising Producer; Milvionne Chery, News Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
Produced by Child Trends News Service in partnership with Ivanhoe Broadcast News and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.