Numeracy
Supporting Your Child's Learning
The Ministry of Education has built a series of resources to assist parents support their child's learning.
Helping Children with Maths at Home
At St. Mary’s School, we want every child to enjoy Maths and gain the skills they need for everyday life and future jobs. You can make a big difference at home by keeping Maths fun and part of daily life!
🔢 Make Numbers Part of Everyday Life
Read letterbox or car plate numbers.
Guess what number comes next.
Spot even and odd numbers.
Make up number riddles.
🌍 Explore Other Number Systems
🎲 Play Maths Games
Use board games, cards, dice, dominoes.
Try “Car Cricket” – white car = 2 runs, blue = 6, red = out!
Try logic games like Sudoku or online Maths games.
🕒 Learn to Tell Time
Use both digital and analogue clocks.
Plan a weekly timetable together.
Talk about how long things take.
Set timers when cooking or playing games.
🛒 Use Maths While Shopping
Compare prices and look for deals.
Estimate totals and calculate change.
Use real money at home to play “shops.”
Weigh fruit and compare items by price.
🍳 Cook Up Some Maths
Double or halve recipes.
Talk about fractions, weights, and temperatures.
Use cups and spoons to explore measurement.
🔷 Spot Shapes & Patterns
Find patterns in nature or art.
Create symmetrical drawings or pictures with blocks.
Make treasure maps and give directions.
🧭 Learn About Directions & Coordinates
Play Battleships or grid games.
Give and follow directions using a map.
Explore Google Maps together.
✨ Practise Basic Facts
Use flashcards, songs, or apps.
Keep multiplication and division facts fresh.
🧠 Encourage Problem-Solving
Ask “How did you figure that out?”
Do real-life challenges like budgeting or planning.
Let your child explain their thinking.
🏡 Use Maths in Real Life
Build something and measure as you go.
Track savings or pocket money.
Graph sports scores or weather patterns.
💡 Tip: By Year 6, children should know their times tables and corresponding division facts division facts up to 10 X 10. Just 5 minutes a night makes a big difference—keep it fun, positive, and part of your daily rhythm!
Together, let’s grow a love of Maths and build strong foundations for the future!📚✨
Maths Dispositions – Building a Positive Attitude to Learning
Children aren’t born being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at Maths. Maths is something we learn. Success in Maths isn’t just about getting the right answer quickly. It’s about being curious, thinking logically, trying different strategies, making mistakes, and learning from them.
At school, we design learning experiences that grow these positive learning habits. We encourage children to take risks, ask questions, work with others, and apply their thinking to real-life problems.
You can support this at home by praising your child for:
Trying different ways to solve a problem
Asking thoughtful questions
Persevering even when it’s tricky
Learning from mistakes
Talking through their thinking
Exploring Maths in everyday life
We want children to know that learning can be hard sometimes—and that’s okay! By recognising their strengths and building a positive mindset, they grow as confident, capable learners.
Here are some examples of what children might say as they develop strong maths dispositions:
“I don’t get it yet, but I’ll keep trying.”
“Mistakes help me learn.”
“I can try a different strategy.”
“I worked hard and didn’t give up.”
“I’m proud of how I explained my thinking.”
“I can learn from others and share my ideas too.”
Let’s work together to help your child see themselves as a successful Maths learner.
Not just now, but for life.
📊 Understanding What Maths Looks Like Today
It’s not just about right answers: Maths teaching today focuses on understanding why things work, not just memorising steps.
There’s more than one way to solve a problem: Children might use strategies that parents didn’t learn at school. Encourage them to explain how they got their answer—this builds confidence and understanding.
🧠 Growth Mindset in Maths
Remind children that making mistakes is part of learning.
Celebrate persistence, curiosity, and creative thinking.
Use phrases like:
“You tried lots of ways to solve that—awesome!”
“What did you learn from that mistake?”
“Let’s figure it out together.
📱 Using Technology
📚 Real-Life Maths Opportunities
Budgeting and saving: Give your child a small amount of pocket money and help them plan how to save/spend it.
Gardening: Measure soil, track plant growth, and estimate planting distances.
DIY projects: Measure, calculate area, and use tools to build something together.
👪 What to Say When You're Unsure
It's okay not to have all the answers:
Say: “I’m not sure, let’s work it out together” or “Let’s look it up.”
It shows children that learning is lifelong and collaborative.
🔄 Making Maths Part of the Daily Routine
Talk about Maths naturally: Count items as you pack lunch boxes, calculate time left before bedtime, talk about shapes while tidying toys, or estimate how long it will take to drive somewhere.
Use Maths language: Include words like “more,” “less,” “equal,” “half,” “double,” “estimate,” and “compare” in daily conversations.
📈 Encouraging Independence
Let children try solving a problem on their own before stepping in. Ask questions like:
“What do you already know about this problem?”
“Can you show me what you've tried?”
“Is there another way to look at it?”
💬 Useful Questions Parents Can Ask
“What’s the problem asking you to do?”
“How did you work that out?”
“What do you notice?”
“Can you prove that?”
“Is there a quicker way?”
🔄 Revisit and Review Regularly
Children often forget what they don’t use.
Help them revise with quick “micro-reviews” at dinner or in the car—e.g., “What’s 6 x 8?” or “What’s half of 3/4?”
Try to keep it relaxed and pressure-free.
🧩 Include Puzzles and Logical Thinking
Encourage puzzles, Sudoku, tangrams, cross-number puzzles, logic games like Rush Hour or Mastermind. These all build mathematical thinking.
🤝 Talk with the Teacher
If unsure about how something is being taught, ask the teacher. We love sharing how children are learning today and how you can help.
Stay connected to see your child’s progress and celebrate it.
🌍 For Parents Who Speak English as a Second Language
You don’t need to be fluent in English to help your child with Maths!Maths is a universal language—and many Maths ideas can be shared using numbers, drawings, and everyday objects.
🗣️ Use your home language!It’s okay to talk about Maths in your first language. This helps your child understand big ideas more clearly. You can still count, talk about shapes, measure, and explore patterns—no matter which language you speak.
📚 Ask your child to explain in their words.If your child is learning Maths in English, ask them to tell you what they learned today. If they can explain it to you, it helps them understand even more!
📱 Use tools and translations:There are many free online tools, videos, and apps that support Maths in different languages. Ask your school if they can recommend any.
🧡 Most of all—be positive and encouraging.Your support makes a big difference. Show interest in what your child is learning and praise their effort and progress.
🌐 Online Tools that Support Maths in Different Languages
📱 Khan Academy
🌍 Languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, and more.
🧠 What it offers: Clear video lessons, practice exercises, and quizzes.
👪 Great for: Parents and children learning Maths concepts together.
🔗 www.khanacademy.org To change language: Scroll to the bottom of the page and select your language.
📚 NRICH (University of Cambridge)
🌍 Mostly English, but very visual and concept-based—great for learners from any background.
🧩 Offers rich problem-solving tasks and Maths games.
🔗 nrich.maths.org
📊 Mathigon – Polypad and Courses
🌍 English, but highly interactive and visual, which helps ESL learners.
🧠 Great for older primary students (Years 5–8).
🔗 www.mathigon.org
🧸 PBS Kids – Maths Games
🌍 English, but intuitive and highly visual for young learners (ages 5–8).
🎮 Great for playful learning.
🔗 pbskids.org/games/math
MATHS LINKS:
Yohaku - A range of number puzzles that strengthen number sense and problem solving. Each yohaku is either an additive or a multiplicative puzzle (as indicated by the symbol in the bottom right of the grid). Your task is to fill in the empty cells such that they give the sum or product shown in each row and column.
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