1. Practice with technology

Use the power of technology to motivate your children to practice math! Online programs like IXL make learning math fun and accessible. IXL even provides an infinite number of questions (literally!) that automatically adjust in difficulty based on your child’s skill level. And, children are motivated to learn more and more math concepts as they collect awards for completing skills and earn certificates to celebrate their hard work. Fun graphics and interaction types keep kids engaged and make their math practice feel like play! On the mobile app, kids can even do their work right on the screen and submit handwritten answers.

2. Build something new

Legos or similar toys allow kids to create something from scratch, encouraging them to visualize the big picture and see how they can use smaller parts to create it. Plus, they’ll absorb lessons about geometry and angles as they figure out how to turn their ideas into concrete realities. Origami is another way kids can learn to love geometry as they puzzle out how to fold shapes into their desired creation.

3. Ask them intriguing questions

By asking your children open-ended questions that involve estimation and math, you’re encouraging them to creatively apply math concepts. Questions like “How many basketballs would fit in a pool?” equip them with all sorts of problem-solving skills. Real-life scenarios are another great way to encourage this type of mathematical thinking—scenarios like figuring out how many cuts you need to get a certain number of pizza slices.

4. Encourage hobbies that use math

Music and baking are two common hobbies jam-packed with math concepts. Have your children measure ingredients and halve or double recipes. They’ll become comfortable with manipulating fractions and will be able to visualize the equations. Similarly, many people don’t realize how closely related music and math are. Different types of calculations are embedded in music, such as utilizing a certain number of beats per measure.

5. Play board games

Logic-based board games like chess, Go, and SET help your child develop strategic and logical thinking. Games like chess and Go involve very little chance and have relatively simple rules that foster analytical thinking, while the game SET exposes kids to concepts like permutations, combinations, and probability.