Maths is not always the most popular subject in the primary curriculum and some of this is down to parents' mathematical anxiety. When children hear their parents speak negatively about maths, it can be particularly challenging for teachers to engage children and encourage them to develop a real mastery and passion for the subject.
We know games can make a real difference and nurture a positive relationship with maths but it is sometimes hard to carry parents with us. They worry that they are 'not doing it right' because mathematics was taught differently when they were growing up, so they feel reassured if their child is learning in the same way. However, when games are implemented effectively in the learning environment, the impact can be significant.
Building on real life experiences
A recent article in The Independent Parents use football statistics and shopping trips to improve children’s maths” 21st September 2020 reported a survey commissioned by Santander UK, which revealed that 79 per cent of parents felt that everyday experiences help children develop an interest in numbers. The study of 1,000 parents and 1,000 children aged 6-14 found everyday experiences like counting money or tallying cars of different colours were among the most popular ways to engage children with numbers. 79 per cent are now using everyday experiences to help their children develop an interest in numbers and 69 per cent of parents said that sport in particular is helpful in helping their kids to understand maths better.
The survey also revealed more than half (59 per cent) of the UK’s mums and dads found this subject difficult when they were younger – leading to struggles with financial literacy later in life.
Step 1: Maths is fun!
Let's dispel children's presumptions that maths is hard to understand and boring. Whether it’s about scheduling maths games as a reward to children who have done well or doing the activities in the play area of the classroom, children need to learn to love maths. It must be positioned as fun, entertaining and something where they can all experience a sense of achievement at an appropriate level. Educational games provide teachers with both an ideal means to introduce a new concept or to consolidate learning after a skill has been introduced.
Step 2: Teaching parents
If teachers are to succeed in developing children’s love of maths from an early age, they must do this hand-in-hand with the parents. Whether this is through information sent out through the parent communication portal, via a scheduled video conference or a specific evening event, parents must understand why their children are being taught in this way and how they can help consolidate the learning in a fun way at home.
Once schools have the parents on-board, they should start the gamification approach through ‘play’. For example, if a teacher is introducing a new mathematical concept in the classroom, online games can be used alongside traditional teaching methods to help students test their understanding and consolidate their new skills. Technology is the perfect vehicle to deliver relevant and engaging maths lessons in the classroom.
Step 3: Mathematical game-based learning
When it comes to game-based maths learning, ideally resources should be mapped against the curriculum and provide a home-use option, so that parents can align their support with what their child is learning at school. It is of course important to consider those families who may not have internet connectivity. Well designed game-based resources, blended with other classroom learning activities offer distinct learning advantages. They have the power to help every child’s development.
At SplashLearn, we are committed to supporting educational equity and therefore our resource for home use has an offline sync functionality that allows the program to work seamlessly without an internet connection; it syncs with its cloud server when the connection is re-established enabling cross-platform usage.
Why game based learning works
Let’s look at an example - one SplashLearn game reveals that some aliens are stranded away from their home planet. Children are then invited to calibrate their rocket ships to send them home. Their home planet may be number 25 and they, therefore, have to use two tens and a five to calibrate its course correctly. And of course, if the child gets it wrong, they get another try.
By removing their fear of failure, we subconsciously encourage them to learn. Game-based learning works when it’s challenging. Children don’t want to play games that are too easy; they’ll get bored very quickly. While children hate getting things wrong, for them there is a significant difference between failing to answer a question on a worksheet, compared to in a game. As soon as you bring a game into the class, children accept that getting some parts wrong is a part of the journey to success. Once they are given a challenging activity, even if they get it wrong a couple of times, once they get it right, the sense of achievement is enormous. Perseverance is a great lesson to learn through games.
Allaying fears about children online
A question that parents often ask is - how much time children should spend on online games? The answer completely depends on the content of the game and the age of the child.
Parents, teachers and child psychologists have long debated the benefits and dangers of children playing games on digital devices. However, the fact is that computer games and consoles can provide a way for children to improve fine motor skills and their social and technological skills. In the digital age, we must accept that the current generation of children will undoubtedly already be spending hours playing games online in their spare time. However, as educators, we can use this to our advantage to increase students’ engagement and enjoyment of learning.
Gaming improves mental health and cognitive function
According to research carried out by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health on 6-11 year-olds, high video game usage correlated with higher intellectual functioning and overall school competence. Results were based on data from the School Children Mental Health Europe project for children ages 6-11. The study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children’s mental health and cognitive and social skills.
‘After adjusting for child age, gender, and the number of children, the researchers found that high video game usage was associated with a 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence.’ What was of equal interest was that there were no significant associations with any child self-reported or mother-or teacher-reported mental health problems and less relationship problems with their peers.
However, the findings came with a warning. 'Video game playing is often a collaborative leisure time activity for school-aged children. These results indicate that children who frequently play video games may be socially cohesive with peers and integrated into the school community,' said Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health.
The researchers caution against over interpretation, however, as setting limits on screen usage remains and important component of parental responsibility as an overall strategy for student success.
Improved engagement
There’s a big difference between sitting with a mobile device in hand for eight hours a day on a just-for-entertainment video game and spending a set amount of time on a resource that is based on extensive research to ensure higher engagement and improved learning outcomes for the player.
Thankfully, today there are many resources that offer versatile and intuitive interfaces that are extremely appealing to children, and therefore provide a great way for them to solve puzzles and problems while also being entertained.