Door-2-Math Blog

Summer is upon us and your kids are looking forward to the family vacation, summer camp, gathering with friends, or just swimming, anything but math. However, before you know it, August will be here and attention will once again turn to school. Since math is one of the most challenging subjects to stay on top of, it is a good idea to take some steps to success in math in the summer. The key points here are not to overdo it and involve your child in the decisions. So here are seven things that you can do to get a head start in math in the fall:¨

• Clean up the folders: Maybe a week after school is over, take some time to go through the past semesters exams, homeworks, quizzes, etc. It’s important because that’s where the gold nugget is! Just like adults, students don’t change willingly under pressure, so after-final-cleanup is like learning from your exams — it is the most efficient way to help your child reflect, strategize and implement positive changes. You want to pick a time, preferably on a weekend where both you had a good rest and are less likely to be disturbed. Start with the cleanest folder she has and work your way to the messiest folder. It’s not surprising that usually the messiest folder is the one your daughter’s least favorite subject. (hope it’s not math?!) What your goal is to help her review what went right and what could be done better next semester. Having had finals behind her, most students are willing to open up and share more. While working with her, use the strategy of ‘digging trench and hole’ approach (featured article for July 2006). Avoid criticizing at all cost — if you give her the room, most students know where they need improvement and they believe they came up with the idea, the chance of them implementing the changes is much higher than if you told them what to do next time.

• Have a 3-month plan: This applies to all subjects, not just math. At the beginning of summer, take some time to sit down with your child and plan the schedule for the summer. Decide together what school subjects he needs to work on, how much he wants to get done, and what time he’s going to work on it. Maybe agree on a reward if the goals are met. This way your child still gets to enjoy his summer, and you know that he will spend some time catching up in subjects where he’s behind.

• Get a good textbook where material is bite size: A good textbook to work with in the summer is invaluable. The most important thing to look for in a book is how well the material is presented and divided. Most kids’ attention span doesn’t exceed 1 hour (especially math!) so look for a textbook where the lessons don’t take more than 30 minutes to do. This way it’s not a daunting task for the child to do 1 lesson at a time. If you live in Tucson or Phoenix, please send email to mathodoc@door2math.com and let me know your child’s grade level, and I’ll do my best to recommend textbooks that my students have had success with.

• Help them establish a schedule – Work with your child to establish a daily routine so that they have time both for play and schoolwork. The sooner they get into a routine for the summer, the less they will object to doing some schoolwork during the day.

• Start planning for your choice of: middle school/high school/college – This is great motivation. Involve them in the choice of school or college that they are going to go to next. Spend some time on the Internet and look at pictures, facilities, and activities. Get your child excited about their new adventure. The more the child is excited about their school, the more motivated they will be to work hard and smart and get good grades.

• Grant one big wish – If your child has been asking for something for a long time, either a thing or a treat or dining out, if at all possible grant that wish at the beginning of summer. This will make for some happy memories, and you will work as a team in the summer to have fun and to learn.

• Keep a success journal- This is a good lifelong habit to start. Keep a daily journal of all the successes for a child each day. They don’t have to be big. For example “Today, I was able to hold breath underwater for one full minute!” or “Today, I trained our dog Coco to stand of his back legs for the first time”. The content is not important. What is important is that you help your child to keep at it. A funny line I read once said that we come in such way that we can’t pad nor kick ourselves easily. Use this great motivational and confidence building tool to help your child to pad himself/herself.

Happy Zen Math!

(c) Feenix Pan 2007 All rights reserved.