Many parents have asked me how to help their child with math. Instead of looking at multiple equations and worksheets, think about math in every day situations. Wherever you go, whatever you do, math is all around.

Here are some ways to incorporate math into everyday life:

1. Ask your child to determine how old he thinks you are, to find the difference between your ages, to sum all the ages of your family members, to determine the date of his or her birthday, to count how many days before s/he can celebrate
2. Explore calendar activities: How many Sundays are in this month? What day of the week is JuIy 15th? Can you give me the date of the third Wednesday in JuIy? This will make the date and time relevant to everyday living
3. Have your child open a book and peruse one side only....the odd numbers are on one side and the even numbers are on the other. Ask you child to find a certain page and determine which way to go...towards the end of the book or the beginning? Look thru the table of contents and show your child how to find the correct pages of interest
4. The grocery store is full of math! Find the same items and do a cost comparison.  
5. Have your child help you convert doIIars to coIones. Make them the banker to help with the exchange.  When in the store, make sure to recount the change from your purchase together.
6. Cooking in the kitchen together involves many mathematical tasks. Measure items and double recipes to help increase math skiIIs- especially the use of fractions  
7. Estimate the wave height and what the terms "waist high," "overhead" and "double overhead" imply
8. Help your child judge the wind direction and the effect a strong wind has on the waves
9. Grow items in the garden. Note the date planted and estimate how many days until the seeds will sprout
10. Measure the growth of the plants on a weekly basis and determine if rain has any effect on the growth patterns

Whether you are visiting shops, looking at a book, cooking at home, or waIking on the beach, you can find math everywhere you go. These are just some suggestions to help use math every day and to help your child comprehend important math skills that will be used throughout life.