How to Make Maths Fun and Engaging for Your Child

 

Did you know, Maths Week Scotland is just around the corner?

It kicks off on the 23rd of September, and it's the perfect opportunity to get your child excited about maths!

Whether your child loves maths or sometimes finds it a challenge, Maths Week is packed with fun activities and resources designed to showcase how important and enjoyable maths can be.

Here at My Primary and Secondary Tutor, we believe that everyone can enjoy and succeed in maths with the right approach, so we've put together some top tips to help you make maths fun and engaging for your child at home.

 

Make Maths Real-Life Friendly

One of the best ways to help your child see the value of maths is by relating it to everyday activities. This makes maths more practical and less abstract, helping them understand how numbers and logic work in their daily life. Here are a few ideas:

Cooking together:
Measuring ingredients helps with understanding fractions, ratios, and proportions.

Shopping:
Encourage your child to help with budgeting, calculating totals, and working out discounts in the shop.

Planning a trip:
If you're heading out, get your child involved in calculating distances, estimating travel times, or even checking the weather forecast.

These real-life applications of maths make it easier for children to grasp and help them see the practical importance of maths beyond the classroom.

Explore Maths in Nature

Wherever you look, you can see maths and out in nature is no exception.

By encouraging your child to explore patterns, shapes, and symmetry in the world around them, you can spark their curiosity and show them how maths is connected to the environment.

Here are some examples.

Symmetry in leaves:
Ask your child to find symmetrical patterns in plants or leaves. They can fold the leaves in half to see how both sides match. Autumn is such a perfect time to do this!

Shapes and angles in trees or flowers:
Point out the different shapes and angles in nature, such as the hexagonal cells in a honeycomb or the triangular branches of a tree. There are literally thousands of example of this all around us.

Count and classify:
Encourage your child to count different types of flowers, insects, or leaves and classify them by size, shape, or colour.

This hands-on exploration can help your child see that maths is everywhere, even in the natural world.

 

Play Maths Games

Who said learning maths has to be boring? There are countless games and puzzles that can turn maths into a fun, interactive experience.

Have you tried any of the examples below?

Board games like Monopoly:
Counting money and managing resources help develop addition and subtraction skills.

Sudoku or logic puzzles:
These challenge children to use logical thinking and problem-solving.

Maths apps:
Apps like "Times Table Rockstars" or "DoodleMaths" make learning maths fun with interactive activities, quizzes, and challenges.

Turning maths into a game keeps children engaged and makes learning feel like playtime, not work.

 

Encourage a Growth Mindset

One of the most important things we promote at My Primary and Secondary Tutor is that maths is a subject where mistakes are not only normal but essential for learning.

Help your child develop a growth mindset, which means seeing challenges as opportunities to improve rather than reasons to give up.

Praise effort over results:
Focus on the hard work your child puts into solving problems, rather than just the final answer.

Celebrate small wins:
Every improvement, no matter how small, is worth celebrating. This builds confidence and encourages your child to keep pushing forward.

Model resilience:
Share your own experiences with learning something difficult. Talk about how practice and persistence helped you get better.

Helping your child embrace challenges and understand that mistakes are part of learning will encourage them to keep trying, even when maths feels tough.

So are you ready to get involved in Maths Week, Scotland?

They have provided so many resources, activities, and events to help your child get excited about maths. From interactive challenges to engaging videos and workshops, there are plenty of ways to celebrate maths during the week, and in weeks to comes!

Visit the official Maths Week Scotland website for activities you can try at home with your child; find out more about participating in local events and explore the online resources.

 

If your child could use a bit more support in their maths journey, don't hesitate to reach out.

At My Primary and Secondary Tutor, we offer both 1:1 and group sessions designed to build confidence and boost skills in a fun, supportive environment.

Drop us an email at enquiries@myprimaryandsecondarytutor.com to secure your space in one of our upcoming maths group sessions.