Assistant Principal Report 

Grade 3 to Grade 6 – Numeracy

Part 1. Exploring numeracy with your child

Families play an important role in their child’s learning. Talking about and using maths at home helps children see how it connects to everyday life—like shopping, cooking, budgeting, and getting around.

Speak positively about maths. Avoid saying things like “I was bad at maths,” as this can affect your child’s confidence. Instead, encourage them to have a go and talk through their thinking.

If your child asks for help, try not to jump straight to the answer. Asking questions and letting them explain their thinking builds confidence and understanding.

Maths today is about more than just getting the right answer. It’s about exploring different ways to solve problems and explaining how you worked it out.

At home, focus on the process rather than speed. Rushing can cause anxiety, so encourage your child to take their time and enjoy learning.

Exploring sports

Sports provide a good opportunity to engage your child in maths, particularly if they are a keen sportsperson.

Here are some questions to ask your child when watching or playing their favourite sport:

· How does your favourite sport tally the score? What maths is presented on the tally?

· How do other sports tally the score – for example, tennis, golf, cricket, netball, football?

· What maths do you use to find the total of the scores?

· Who is at the top of the ladder? How is this determined?

· Are there other ways to record the score?

· How long do your favourite sport games go for in minutes and seconds? How is the time in the game divided? Into halves, quarters or something else?

· What are the shapes of different playing fields and courts? Talk about edges and angles.

· How can you estimate the perimeter and area of a playing field?

· How many cars could be parked on the MCG field or at your local sports ground? How could we work this out?

Watching the weather

Because it changes daily, the weather can be a great topic to discuss maths with your child. Try these activities: 

· Visit the website http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/

· Ask your child the difference between each day’s minimum and maximum temperatures. Do they notice a pattern or trend in the weather changes?

· Find a seven-day forecast, then record the actual temperature for each day and compare. Ask your child if the forecast was accurate. Ask them what similarities and differences they notice.

· Use the information on the weather website to explore differences in weather between your area and other areas. Ask your child how much rain you get compared to other areas. Ask your child to identify differences in temperature between your area and other areas. Who might be affected by an increase or decrease in rainfall?

Dani Bird 

Assistant Principle