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Perspective: Don't pass on your math fear to your children

Dubai - Math is for EVERYONE. The trick is to make it fun.

Math is an integral part of our daily life, be it in the form of shapes and patterns in nature, in the clock in the dining hall, games and puzzles we attempt in newspapers and magazines, or even in something as simple as buying the grocery or eating out with family.
However, there's a certain level of fear or discomfort attached to learning Math. As adults, the biggest mistake we make is to instil the fear of Math in our children. Many of us are guilty of saying, 'Math was difficult', 'I always hated the subject' or 'I'm not really a Math person'. Unknowingly, we pass on our fears and anxieties because of our own negative experiences. Alternatively, some of us go to the other extreme and try to drill the subject incessantly, unduly pressuring the child and inculcating a sense of revulsion for the subject.
Math is for EVERYONE. The trick is to make it fun and seamlessly integrate it in our everyday life, to make our kids understand that the role of Math is to make things easy for us. Kids sometimes wonder about the necessity and practicality of learning the subject. The onus lies on us to make them understand that it is not just a classroom subject but is invaluable in daily life, whether it's managing our finances or even the household budget. Thousands of decisions in our everyday life are based on Math.
Involve your child in helping you bake a cake, or compare the prices of the different varieties of apples in the supermarket, or measure the growth of your indoor plant. I remember a game I would play with my own children when they were younger. Whenever we'd travel and the kids grew restless, I'd ask them to total the numbers on the license plate of the car right ahead of us or count all the white cars! What started as a game, slowly became a ritual that they loved.
While travelling in the elevator, I've often seen my neighbor count the number of tiles from the elevator to his doorstep with his four-year-old daughter. It is these small acts that build up their confidence in their own abilities. Fun games like Monopoly or even keeping the score in Scrabble help in inculcating an interest in the subject.
At the Jiggle Wiggle station in our school, we have dedicated areas for scaled up versions of Snakes & Ladders, hopscotch and Skip counting where students have fun while subconsciously integrating the principles of Math.
The trick is to start young. Once children develop an interest and love for the subject, regular practice definitely helps. Remember, practice makes perfect. Children are more confident and prepared if they practise consistently. Shying away from the subject doesn't help and regular practice develops a comfort level and confidence.
A few months ago, I read about the studies conducted on London's Black Cab drivers. To become one, they need to study somewhere between two to four years and pass 'The Knowledge' Test, memorising 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks in Central London. Research has proved that the hippocampus of the taxi drivers grew significantly after this training and shrank back once they retired; proving yet again that engaging and challenging our brain is the key to learning.
We all start from zilch and work our way up, whether it's learning to walk or ride a bike. It's the practice that we put in and the faith in our abilities that makes all the difference.
As the mathematician, Stan Gudder has said, "The essence of Mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple."
The writer is the CEO of the Indian High School.