Maths, Girls and Learning Styles

What can stay-at-home parents do to help their daughters (or sons, for that matter) get ready for school with their basic maths concepts? Encourage them to play with blocks, according to Dr Maureen Woodhams. Listen to her brilliant interview here for other ideas.

Naturally, some children will be more inclined to play with blocks than others. It's all up to their unique Learning Style. If your child is tactile and doesn't require mobility to learn, blocks and boardgames are probably a good starting point. But what if your child requires to move around in order to absorb new information?

• Play detective: take them for a walk around the neighbourhood and read the numbers on the letterboxes. Ask your child to anticipate the next number on this side of the road and on the other side.
• Sing children's songs with counting and pre-counting themes.
• NumberJacks is a great video to watch with your kids... if they are visual. Allow them to jump around the room while watching to satisfy their need for mobility.

Find out what your child needs by assessing their learning style.