{"id":3777,"date":"2016-05-11T14:59:42","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T14:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mathforlove.wpengine.com\/?post_type=press&p=3777"},"modified":"2019-12-17T14:14:28","modified_gmt":"2019-12-17T14:14:28","slug":"hate-math-make-it-fun-with-picture-books-board-games-and-more","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/mathforlove.com\/press\/hate-math-make-it-fun-with-picture-books-board-games-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Hate Math? Make It Fun With Picture Books, Board Games and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Denise Gaskins\u2019 kids were growing up, reading meant family time, history meant acting and science meant hands-on exploration. But math? Math was something parents dreaded, a fear so palpable she often saw adults handing their own anxiety over to their kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing this attitude made me want to cry. It doesn\u2019t have to be like that,\u201d says Gaskins, founder of the popular Let\u2019s Play Math blog<\/a> and author of Let\u2019s Play Math: How Families Can Learn Math Together \u2014 and Enjoy It<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

The cure for math dread? Math play. The antidote for \u201cnot getting math\u201d? More math play. Gaskins is one of a growing group of advocates revolutionizing the way parents support math concepts at home. Goodbye worksheets and drills, flashcards and times tables. Hello practical problem-solving, hands-on activities and art projects.<\/strong> The common denominator for all of them: harnessing children\u2019s innate curiosity and love of fun to highlight the natural connection between play and mathematics.<\/p>\n

Math play happens any time you combine a math concept with play. It can be as simple as guessing how many steps it takes to get to a tree and then counting them out, reading a math story book, playing a game of Connect Four or availing yourself of a growing number of math board games. The learning happens within a fun or practical context.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlay involves choice, doing something because it brings you joy, not to fulfill an obligation,\u201d says Gaskins. \u201cIn math play, we entice rather than demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s Just a Game<\/h3>\n

The timing could not be more critical for the next generation of learners. A recent study published in The Journal of Psychological Science<\/a><\/em> found that children with math-anxious parents who helped them with their math homework learned less math during the school year and were more likely to be anxious about the subject. In other words, if you show your kids you\u2019re scared of math, they\u2019ll be scared, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exacerbating the problem of math anxiety is the national introduction of new Common Core standards<\/a> for how math is presented in schools and teachers\u2019 own math anxiety. Add to that the friction created between parents eager to help their children and children being taught different methods than their parents\u2019 generation and you have a recipe for major a math disaster.<\/p>\n

Math play, Gaskin says, takes the fear factor out of mathematics by making it a low-stakes game (often literally). Infusing math with fun makes the learning stick and reduces stress for all parties, she says.<\/p>\n

While studying math at Swarthmore College<\/a>, mathematician Dan Finkel became consumed with the question of why some people leave school loving math and others don’t. The answer, he found, was connecting math to gaming. To inspire kids of all ages to learn, Finkel created the award-winning Prime Climb board game<\/a>, the website Math for Love<\/a> and, most recently, the Kickstarter project Tiny Polka Dot game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids who play are more likely to persevere, to take ownership of what they\u2019re doing, to change the rules to meet their own needs and interest, ask questions, make connections and have fun,\u201d says Finkel. \u201cMath, when approached playfully, is incredibly fun and compelling.\u201d Math without play, however, can feel unmotivated, boring and confusing<\/strong>, he says.<\/p>\n

Having a good time while learning doesn\u2019t have to be complicated, adds Lucy Ravitch, author of the math picture book The Pancake Menu<\/a><\/em> and Kids Math Teacher<\/a> blogger.<\/p>\n

Math activities can be as simple as taking a ruler and measuring how big a room is or the difference between a child\u2019s shoe and an adult\u2019s shoe. Or kids can time how long it takes to do certain activities or figure out how many gallons of water the family uses each day.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning should be enjoyable so always try to have fun and be patient,\u201d Ravitch says. \u201cBeing positive and understanding that there are different ways to solve the same problem is an important lesson to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Here are some great ways to do math play at home with children this summer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Preschool<\/h3>\n