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Back To School Series Part 1: Helping Your Child Who Struggles With Math

It's a time of new backpacks and sneakers. Children wonder who their classmates will be and who their teachers are. If you're like me, your major hope is that this year will be different. You imagine a year that sparks joy and a love of learning, and maybe even a report card with passing grades. You just want your child to feel accomplished and proud. 

We know that helping at home is essential. And as parents of children who struggle in math it's something that we know very well. We ask teachers for resources all the time. We do everything we know how to do. But most days it's like we are just treading water. Other days we want to give up altogether. 

What is the best way to help a child who is 1 or 2 years behind their peers in math.? The class is multiplying while your child still forgets the numbers 12 and 13 when counting by ones. How do we prevent the gap from growing? 

There are some things that we know now about the brain and how children learn that we didn't know when we were kids. Some of it even seems counterintuitive. Sitting at the kitchen table pouring over worksheets isn't it. But we do it because that's what we did. We think, If you can just finish the assignment we will get through this. Of maybe, Just remember the steps to do. You carry the one and then add them up. Or sometimes even, You got this yesterday. I know you can do it. There's a reason why our kids forget things they knew yesterday. There's a reason why your child doesn't remember the steps to solve what seems like a simple equation. There's a reason why completing assignments the way everyone else does never helps your child catch up. We know what doesn't work. And the good news is that we also know what does. 



Upcoming Parts In This Series

Part 2: Start With Joy
Part 3: Less Is More
Part 4: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
Part 5: Success Isn't A Straight Line

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