The National Educational Association (NEA) defines parental involvement as “the process by which parents help their children learn at home and in school” and describes it as a vital component of student success. As a parent, you’re likely doing many standard activities that help children feel supported in their learning. Some of these activities include attending parent-teacher conferences, helping with homework assignments, or chaperoning field trips. However, you might not know that these activities provide more substantial benefits than you realize.
Read on to find out more about the advantages of parental involvement in math education and some tips to make those interactions more meaningful to your child.
Parental Involvement In Math Education: What Do the Experts Say?
Leading educational experts have concluded that increased parental involvement in education leads to more positive outcomes for children. Just a few of these outcomes include:
- Higher test scores
- Improved classroom behavior, fewer absences, and higher self-esteem
- Greater social skills
- Increased likelihood of pursuing higher education after graduation
Why does parental involvement in math education lead to such dramatically positive results? Researchers state a few likely possibilities that contribute to these statistics. A parent showing positive interest in their child’s studies helps the child feel more positive about school, even when things are difficult. Children with highly involved parents are more motivated to attempt challenging work because they feel encouraged to persevere. This determination builds confidence, which often spills over into other areas of life.
Increased parental involvement in math education also helps improve the relationship between teachers and the families they support. When parents are more involved, they generally build a strong relationship with their child’s teachers. This leads to more communication between school and home, helping children get individualized attention.
Practical Tips for Enhancing Parental Involvement
Parents and families are busy these days, and it’s common for parents to struggle to stay involved with their children’s education no matter how much they may want to. Here are a few simple ways you can be more active in your child’s schooling:
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Attend School Functions
Whenever possible, participating in school activities is an excellent way to connect with your child. It shows them that school is important to you even when you’re not there. Even if the functions aren’t educational in nature, these opportunities can also help you get to know their teachers and get a better sense of their social circle. Continued school involvement as your child ages can also help them recognize the importance of higher education.
If you aren’t able to attend as many events as you’d like, you can always connect with their teacher to see how else you can get involved. This could mean donating food, supplies, or decorations for parties and allowing your child to help with this process after school. Any involvement is better than none at all!
Show Interest in the Small Things
To get more involved in education, parents need to move the conversation beyond just asking how their child’s day at school was. Get specific and avoid emphasizing the negative. You can ask them what they’re enjoying the most about each subject or if there are topics they’re looking forward to. You can also connect with them by sharing stories about what you enjoyed about school when you were younger.
When your child needs some help with homework or support studying for a test, you must show enthusiasm about spending this time with them so your child won’t hesitate to ask for help in the future. If your child doesn’t require a great deal of support, simply being close by when they’re studying can be a big help. Knowing they have access to a support person will decrease the likelihood of becoming overwhelmed or too frustrated to move on.
Apply Math at Home
Students need to understand that learning math is not restricted to passing exams but is applied daily in real life. When students look for math around them and appreciate its application in real life, math becomes much more enjoyable. In fact, the main goal of teaching math in school is to prepare the students for its real-life usage.
Parents can show them how math shows up in life in various ways. For example, when you go shopping, you can have your child calculate a budget or have them figure out sale prices. Calculating conversions of measurements while cooking is another way that students can apply math at home while having fun with their families.
Model a Positive Attitude Towards Math
Children learn so much through observing their parents, so your attitude towards math can influence how they approach the subject. This doesn’t mean you need to be an expert or even enjoy math! On the contrary, allowing your child to see how you work through frustration to find a solution shows them that it’s okay to struggle. You can also show them how to alter their environment to make studying feel less of a chore by helping them create a designated studying nook or turning on music to help them relax.
How ByteLearn Can Help Parents
Parental involvement in education significantly benefits their overall development. After all, parents are their children’s first and most influential instructors. Kids with more involved parents perform better academically and display a higher sense of self-worth when parents actively become part of their schooling.
Parents shouldn’t feel they need to excel at all subjects to support their child’s learning. ByteLearn offers a host of benefits to parents who are helping their children with math homework. Parents can learn more about fun math activities to do at home or download math worksheets for additional practice with a tricky concept. If you are a middle school math teacher looking to make math more fun and interesting for your students, click here.
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