Help Your Child Leap to

the Head of the Class

10 Proven Strategies to Conquer Your
Biggest Math Concerns and Ensure Your
Child Reaches Their Potential
By Raj Shah, Ph.D.

Table of Contents
Imagine if... ................................................................................................................3
How can I keep my child challenged when they are bored at school? ......................4
How do I foster a love of math? .................................................................................6
How can I prevent my child from giving up on challenging problems? ....................7
How can I boost my childs confidence? ....................................................................9
How do I get my child into the habit of doing math regularly? ...............................11
Why wont my child let me help them? ...................................................................13
How can I make sure they dont struggle with math the way that I did? .................14
How do I help my child when they teach math totally different now? ....................15
How can I help with timed tests? .............................................................................16
How can I help my child overcome math anxiety? ..................................................17

Imagine if...
you could put an end to your childs math anxiety.
you could ensure your childs enjoyment of mathematics for the long-term.
you knew exactly how to boost your childs confidence in math.
Youd be able to say goodbye to stressful nights doing math homework. Youd be sure
that your child appreciated the beauty and power of mathematics. And, you could rest
assured that they would be able to reach their potential and leap to the head of the
class.
Over the last five years, Ive spoken to hundreds of parents who have asked me for
advice about their childs math education. Ive compiled the 10 biggest questions and
concerns and provide strategies to address each one. I hope that you will find at least a
few of these strategies helpful. The good news is every one of these strategies has
been tested and is proven to work.
In the following pages, you will learn my top strategies for building a childs
confidence, perseverance, and enjoyment of math. For the best results, I suggest you
pick one strategy to focus on and consistently apply it until you see results. Then move
one to another strategy if you like.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Im here to help.
Raj Shah, Ph.D.
Founder
Math Plus Academy
raj@mathplusacademy.com

How can I keep my child challenged

when they are bored at school?
I find that parents who have students that

Mathematicians pose questions and then

seem to naturally do well in math make

try to things as simply as possible. This

the mistake of trying to push them too

view of math allows for creativity, logic,

quickly through the curriculum. Math is

reason, intuition and inspiration. That is

as much about the journey as it is about

what makes math fun and engaging and

the destination.

its what we want kids to discover and

Sadly, because of how math is taught in

schools, most students and parents
believe that math is simply a collection of
skills, definitions, and procedures that

embrace. I implore you to think about

how to teach these important aspects of
math that make it an amazingly intriguing
and rich field.

can be memorized. If that is your goal,

Games, puzzles & brain teasers.

then the tools of choice tend to be

The best tools I know to teach

worksheets, flash cards, and repetitive

mathematical thinking skills are games,

computer games. These tools can be

puzzles and brain teasers. Parents can

useful if you are trying to supplement

show their kids the beauty of math by

math skill development. However, they

playing games and working to solve

are terrible if youre trying to challenge

puzzles and brain teasers together. A

your child because they are boring,

huge added benefit is that by doing

repetitive and no fun!

these things together you are

The truth is that math is about

investigating patterns dealing with
quantity, structure and space.

guaranteed to share aha moments with

your child that neither of you will ever
forget.

Recommended Books
Becoming a Problem Solving Genius by
Edward Zaccaro

Bonus Tip
When playing strategy games, talk
about your strategy out loud. Your

Creative Problem Solving by Dr. George

child will learn from you and will

Lenchner

develop their own strategic

Math Olympiad Contest Problems by Dr.

G. Lenchner

thinking much faster. Also, ask

them to explain their thinking from
time to time. These two things will

Recommended Websites

really help them refine their

Puzzles.com logic puzzles and much

mathematical thinking skills.

more. Try the Family Brainstorms.

krazydad.com Free printable puzzles
(Sudoku, KenKen, Kakuro, etc)
figurethis.org Math challenges (check
out the math index)

How do I foster a love of math?

One of the best ways I know to get kids

league or private lessons. The same is

thinking mathematically is through

true when they enjoy math and science.

games. The best games require creativity,

strategic thinking, spatial reasoning and
computation. These are all fundamental
skills needed to succeed in mathematics.

Search your community for opportunities

like Math Olympiads, Chess, Robotics
and Computer Programming. Often
these are offered at the local Science and

Start a Family Game Night

Industry Museum or as summer camps at

Family traditions are the glue that holds

the community center. If youre lucky,

families together. Choose one night a

they can be offered at school as well.

week to play games. Turn off the TV, the

phone and all other distractions and just
have fun! Many games build number
sense and mental math skills.
Heres a list of great games to get you
started:
1. Qwirkle
2. SET
3. Carcassonne
4. Hive

Of course, Math Plus Academy offers all

5. Blokus

of these programs all year long. We are

Enrichment Opportunities

on a mission to inspire kids to do great

things and what better way to do that

When your child shows an interest in

than through amazing, fun enrichment

sports or music, you sign them up for a

classes.

How can I prevent my child from giving

up on challenging problems?
The solution to this is based on the

given talents are fixed and cant really be

excellent book, Mindset, by respected

improved? In addition, people with fixed

psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck. Based on

mindsets avoid risks for fear of failure.

her extensive research, she has identified

Worse, they take constructive criticism as

two mindsets, the fixed mindset and the

judgment about their self-worth rather

growth mindset, that help explain why

than hearing the message and working

some people persevere and others dont.

to improve.

The Fixed Mindset

Many gifted students suffer from a

A person with a fixed mindset believes

fixed mindset which prevents them

that traits like intelligence or musical

from trying difficult problems.

talent are fixed and cannot be changed.

For example, it seems reasonable that
Tiger Woods was given a gift for golf
or that Michael Jordan had an innate
talent for basketball or that Einstein was
born a genius. Many of us tend to
believe this at least a little.
Unfortunately, there is an insidious side
to having a fixed mindset. If you believe
talents are fixed, you tend to not work as
hard to increase your own talent. Why
bother practicing or studying when your

A student with a fixed mindset who gets

a D on a math test thinks to himself, Im
just not good at math. They dont go
back to see which problems were missed
or reflect on how to study better.

The Growth Mindset

A person with a growth mindset believes
that abilities and talents can be
developed with hard work. They see
failures, not as a judgement on their
talent or self-worth, but as
opportunities to grow and improve.
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While they feel the sting of a failure, they

challenges get tougher and so they give

can move on to figure out how to do

up.

better the next time. And they accept

most criticism as constructive.

The good news is that anyone can

change their mindset. Research shows

A student with a growth mindset who

that just knowing these two mindsets

gets a D on a math test, goes back to the

exist can help move you toward the

teacher to find out what they

growth mindset framework. This is true

misunderstood. They develop better

even for children its never too early to

study habits and seeks extra help until

develop a growth mindset!

the topics are mastered.

What we should be praising is effort.

The Power of Praise

When your child comes home with an A

These days, it seems that most parents,

on a test, you can say, I can see how

educators and coaches often deliver

your studying paid off. Great work.

praise and rewards even for average

rather than Wow! Youre so smart!.

results. Studies show the idea that

everyone deserves a trophy or that we
should continually praise our children to
ensure they have self-worth are
questionable at best.

If your child didnt put in much effort, but

still got a good grade, try Looks like
that test was too easy for you. Maybe we
can work on some more challenging
problems together. This way youre

It turns out that if we praise children for

letting them know you value effort over

being smart or naturally talented, we

talent. You are teaching them to value

are feeding them the idea that talent is

the process of learning as much as or

innate and fixed. With a fixed mindset, a

even more than the grades and that its

student has no where to go when the

OK to struggle with challenging ideas

and problems.

How can I boost my childs confidence?

Self-confidence is the belief that you can

already know. Ask them to try and recall

rely on yourself. For many, even those

a tough problem that they were able to

who do well in math, it can be difficult to

solve and praise them for having the

develop confidence. The end goal is that

confidence and perseverance required

your child should be able to take on a

for that achievement. This will serve as a

relatively challenging problem knowing if

foundation for your child to fall back on

they keep working on it, they will get it.

when they run into the next challenging

3 Steps to Building Confidence

problem.

1. Focus on what they know first. Have

2. Attitude is EVERYTHING. Outlaw all

a conversation with your child and have

negativity. Catch your child when they

them tell you what concepts they think

say things like, this is too hard, Im

they have mastered. Write them down so

just not good at math, Im bad at

your child can see how much they

multiplication, I cant do it. Retrain

them to use phrases like, I presently
struggle with... or Im still learning how
to.... Make it a game to try and catch
each other saying negative things and
help each other rephrase them.
3. Identify one area for improvement
and practice. Math is a difficult subject
and there will be many hurdles to
overcome as the subject gets more
challenging each year. Have your child
identify just one area for improvement.

Decide how often they will practice that

one skill or concept. Have them tackle

Bonus Tip #2

that challenge for 10-15 minutes each

Build number sense by estimating.

day until it is mastered. The key is to do

Number sense is an intuitive feel

the math in short bursts because too

for numbers and the ability to use

much repetition can lead to boredom

them naturally in everyday life.

and overwhelm them which is counter-

Make a game out of it estimating

productive. Repeat as needed.

everyday quantities to see who can

get the closest to the real answer.

Bonus Tip #1
Ask your child to explain math
concepts to you from time to time.
Youll know theyve mastered a
topic when they can teach it to you.
By reversing roles, you will naturally

You can also help your child by

making educated guesses at values
that must be too high and too low.
Examples:
How much butter is needed to
make twice as many cookies?

build their confidence as they see

How much will cost to fill the car

themselves successfully being the

with gas? (Make them ask you

teacher instead of the student.

for relevant info like tank size, gas

price, etc.)
How many consecutive shots will
LeBron need to make to hit 50%
accuracy if hes made 3 of 9 shots
so far?
Which is a better deal? Store
brand item or popular brand item
with coupon.

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How do I get my child into the habit of

doing math regularly?
I spent weeks researching proven ways to

Of course, once you start to floss that

build daily habits like studying math.

one tooth, you may choose to do them

Heres a summary of what I learned

all, but you dont have to. Who cant floss

(primarily from BJ Fogg of Stanford

just one tooth every night?

University) and how you can apply it with

your kids. Ive tried it and it works!

2. Eliminate Excuses in Advance

Make a list of the most frequent excuses

1. Set the Bar Exceedingly Low

and defeat them in advance. For

This may sound counter-intuitive at first,

example, if youre trying to build a daily

but creating a very low bar makes it

workout habit, your excuses might

easier to get started each day because

include: Not having a gym membership,

the task wont seem too daunting. Heres

not having clean workout clothes, and

an example: Suppose you want to

lack of motivation to workout alone.

develop a daily flossing habit because

we know its good for dental health.
Make the goal to floss just one tooth
every night.

Now find a solution for each one. Get a

membership, get more workout gear and
put it in your car at all times, then find
someone to hold you accountable like a
friend or personal trainer. You can do the
same with a daily homework habit by
having a notebook, pencil and eraser
handy along with books and problems
that you want to work on.

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3. Tie the New Habit to a

Developed One

complete the task. Encourage them to

If possible, tie the timing of the new

possible. The longer the chain gets, the

habit to the timing of a daily habit that

more motivated theyll be to not break

you are already successful with. In this

the chain.

way, you make it much easier to

remember and much harder to avoid the
new habit. Find a daily activity that your
child does routinely after school like
reading or watching a show and tie the
math homework to that activity.

try and build a chain of Xs as long as

5. Use Rewards for Motivation

Turn the new habit development into a
friendly competition with your child.
Theyll have a lot more motivation to
keep going when their motivation wanes.
Create some small rewards for doing the

4. Track Their Progress (Dont

Break the Chain)

habit for 3, 5, 10 and 30 days in a row.

Print a calendar and have your child

simply mark an X every day that they

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Why wont my child let me help them?

Its frustrating when you know you can

When you help, try to ask questions that

help your child, but they arent receptive.

point them in the right direction, rather

The surprising reason kids resist your

than just showing them exactly what to

help is they dont want to disappoint

do. Your guidance should be tuned so

you!

that your child still feels like they did

Kids are extremely perceptive. They hear

most of the work.

every subtle tone in your voice -- your

Let Mistakes Be OK

exasperation when they dont get

Explain to your child that mistakes are a

something obvious, your sarcasm when

natural consequence of learning. In

they complain its too hard but you know

basketball, we dont expect you to make

they can do it, or your disappointment

every shot, the same is true in math.

when they get incorrect answers.

Then, teach them that its what they does

Toss Out Your Expectations

You must remove your expectations from
the equation. If you can be gentle,
accept mistakes, and remove the
pressure, youll see profound changes.

after making a mistake thats most

important. High achievers go back and
learn from mistakes and practice until
they get it right. Encourage your child to
do the same.

Wait Until Theyre Ready

Often, parents give advice before the
child is truly ready to listen which makes
the situation worse. Ask them to confirm
they really want your help before you
start assisting.

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How can I make sure they dont struggle

with math the way that I did?
I believe every child has unlimited and

Create a Positive Environment

untapped potential in math. Children are

There are three simple things you can do

natural mathematicians as they begin to

to foster a positive environment at home:

explore the world around them. But

1. Have a positive attitude. Your

boredom and frustration can quickly zap

enthusiasm for math will be contagious.

their interest and confidence.

2. Eliminate pressure by de-

Attitude is Everything

emphasizing mistakes. When mistakes

Research studies have repeatedly shown

occur, try saying something like, Im so

that children pick up on subtle cues from

glad that came up, because now we can

parents and teachers on their attitudes

look at it and learn from it. And always

toward math. Basically, adults who dont

acknowledge what your child did right

like math, have kids that dont like math.

before explaining what was wrong. Your

Your job is to make sure you have a

child will be more likely to put effort into

positive attitude about math. Make sure

math.

you dont say things, like I wasnt good

3. Allow your child to try and fail.

at math because your child may assume

Developing perseverance is critical to

that they wont be good at math either.

building true problem solving skills. Your

child cant develop perseverance if they
are never allowed to struggle. Dont be
too helpful and reassure them while they
are trying to solve problems on their
own. Try to be a guide without giving
away all the answers.

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How do I help my child when they teach

math totally different now?
Its true that math education has changed

If youre still confounded by the new

considerably in the last 25 years. As a

math, try reading Old Dogs, New

parent, it can be frustrating when the

Math: Homework Help for Puzzled

techniques and terminology have

Parents. Its co-authored by a professor

changed. Many parents fear that if they

of math education. Its an easy read, filled

teach their child math in a different way,

with examples and explanations to help

their child will be confused. For most

you better help your child.

students, this just isnt true!

The key is to celebrate the idea that
every problem can be solved in
multiple ways. This allows for flexibility
and creativity, its part of what makes
studying mathematics so much fun!
If you happen to teach them something
in a different way than their teacher, you
should acknowledge the difference
upfront. If they keep an open mind, your
child may find your alternative method to
be better, easier, or more meaningful. In
math, its always best to know more than
one way to solve a problem.

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How can I help with timed tests?

Is your child struggling to complete 100

are done, record the time and praise

multiplication problems in 3 minutes?

your child for their effort. After taking a

Many schools use timed tests to make

break, challenge them to repeat the

sure students develop quick recall of

worksheet while trying to improve their

"math facts. Unfortunately, for a large

initial time. This will provide two benefits.

percentage of students, these tests

First, your child will feel successful when

induce unnecessary fear and doubt.

they finish the worksheet. Second, they

It is a scientific fact that an anxious mind

cannot reach peak performance. Athletes
who are "in the zone" often report a lack
of anxiety and sense of calm. This is the

will begin to see that they can easily

increase their speed which will reduce
their anxiety and allow them to perform
better.

attitude we want to foster in math as

Track Progress Visually

well.

Make a chart to show how their

Identify Knowledge Gaps First

If your child just doesnt know some of
their facts, you must address that first.
Help them develop a understanding of

completion time is trending each day.

The visual feedback on their progress can
really help boost their confidence.
Repeat until the time goal is reached.

the underlying concepts and work on

strategies to compute facts quickly
when their memory fails them.

The Best Way to Practice

Start with a worksheet of problems
without a time constraint. When they

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How can I help my child overcome math

anxiety?
Usually, math anxiety stems from

bridge or flying a plane; no one is going

unpleasant experiences in class or on

to die if they make a mistake! In fact,

tests. Math can be unforgiving because,

mistakes are part of the learning process.

unlike in english class, every problem has

Just ask for help, figure out where you

a right answer. Students that over-

went off track and move on.

emphasize their mistakes can quickly

develop an unhealthy fear of
mathematics.

Focus On Understanding
Understanding trumps memorization
every time! Try memorizing this list of 5

Most of the time students have math

random words -- book, dog, basketball,

anxiety because they lack a deep

mustard and hair. Do you think youll

understanding. Their knowledge is

remember any of these a week from

superficial; its based on memorization of

now?

facts and procedures. Students that

rely on their memory alone struggle
when their memory fails them. Whereas a
student who understands the underlying
concept can still reason their way to a
solution even if theyve forgotten the
algorithm or formula.

Reassure Your Child

Let them know that it is perfectly OK to
make mistakes. They are not building a

What if the list was egg, milk, bread,

mayonnaise, and sour cream. What do
these words have in common? They are
foods that are white. A week from now,
you may forget them, but your chance of
recall is several times because you will
remember that the list contained foods
that are white.
The same holds true for math. You child
needs to be able to understand why
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math works the way it does and how one

concept is related to another. This will

Bonus Tip

help them greatly when their memory

Investigate how your child is being

fails them on a big test.

taught mathematics at school. Is it

mostly memorization of facts and

Encourage a Positive Attitude

algorithms? Are they getting

Change your childs vocabulary when it

stressed out by timed tests on

comes to math. No one really dislikes

math facts? If you answered, yes

math, they dislike the feeling of not

to either of these questions, then

being good at math.

its time to do some things at home

Make sure your child uses positive words

when describing math class, math
homework, etc. Even if they dont mean
it right now, its important to fake it,
until you make it..

to make math more fun and

relevant. Your child needs to see
how much fun math can be and
how it relates to the real world. See
the section titled, How do I
foster a love of math for great

Address Knowledge Gaps

ideas to make mathematical

Finally, if the root cause is a lack of

thinking more fun.

understanding of the concepts (not the

facts), then its time to seek help. Talk
to your childs teacher first and find out
exactly which concepts are challenging
for your child. Take that information to a
place like Math Plus Academy where they
can help address those issues teach your
child the fundamentals.

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