Math can be a challenging subject, especially in Indian schools where lower grades have an advanced math syllabus than what is normally taught in other countries. Even across all the different school boards in the country, the maths syllabus stays more or less the same.
In Class 5, the maths syllabus is still predominantly arithmetic, with concepts such as division, multiplication, decimals, fractions, bar graphs and pie charts, and the basics of triangles, angles, lines, quadrilaterals, etc. For a 5th grader, these topics can be challenging and new, making it harder to grasp the concepts and understand them thoroughly. However, the focus here should not be just getting full marks in their exam. This syllabus serves as the foundation for the more complex math that this gradually evolves into in higher classes. With a weak base, students will find it harder to excel in later school years when it matters more. This is why becoming thorough with understanding all the concepts at this level is very important to guarantee ease of learning as they grow older.
Also, at this age, the child cannot be expected to study all by themselves and do all the work independently. Parent involvement outside of a classroom setting is highly recommended. Read on to discover 4 ways to ensure your child scores full marks in their grade 5 maths exams.
- Discipline
Children in the 5th standard are usually around 9-10 years old. At this age, there are many distractions, which is perfectly normal. Children tend to also have a more well-balanced life than in their later years. However, it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that their children are disciplined and can focus and work when they need to. Not just for the short-term success in their exams, but also for their futures. Setting a routine and being strict with their homework time is one way to cultivate discipline, time-management skills, and productivity.
Many parents may think that this may be too young an age to be that demanding with a child. However, children grow up so fast, and if they don’t learn how to manage their time and develop good study practices and work habits now, likely, they never will.
- Helping them to focus
- teaching them not to succumb to distractions,
- rewarding them when they finish their work on time/ correctly etc. are small ways that parents can inspire their children to be hard-working students. Such habits in a conducive home environment could mean your child will not just top math, but other subjects too!
Children at this age are impressionable, and good examples will go a long way in helping them grow into the best versions of themselves. Math can have a huge impact on small kids. This is often the age where they begin to form more permanent interests and passions and if they are exposed to math in a healthy way, they may become involved with and enjoy the subject more.
- Practice
While many consider math as a tough subject, in reality, it is one of the easiest subjects to score in. As the saying goes, numbers never lie, and the beauty of math lies in how there is always just one correct answer but so many different ways to get to it.
For students at this age, they need to understand the basics so they can find their own ways of solving math problems. This is always better than forcing them to follow one method because it boosts their creativity and engagement with the subject, leading to better performances.
The best way to ensure this is to stress on practice. With math, there is no break because it is very easy to lose touch with the concepts. Even during vacations and summer holidays, at least an hour of math is crucial. Practicing either in the form of re-solving textbook questions and examples, printing out worksheets, doing online tests, etc. any form of additional math will help.
- Textbooks and additional resources
While the prescribed textbooks often provide what is required for a specific syllabus, for example, the widely used NCERT books for Class 5 maths, it is important for students to go beyond the classroom setting.
There are only a certain number of questions and solved examples in a textbook. What happens when they’ve completed all of them? This is where buying additional textbooks help. Whether at a pop-up bookstore at their school or ordering them online, 5th class math textbooks are not hard to find. Encouraging your child to solve questions from textbooks of a different syllabus will help provide them with a more holistic understanding of concepts, making them better prepared to solve questions of any kind on the exam. Textbooks often come with CD’s that contain question banks for every topic. The ‘Higher Order Thinking’ skills portion of the chapter should also be attempted to learn the topic fully
- Practical application
A very important aspect of comprehending math is understanding how these concepts can be applied to the real world. This is also, undoubtedly, the most fun, engaging and inspiring part of the subject.
Looking for examples of math in the real world can be a fun family activity. Getting everyone involved will make the experience more enjoyable, which can help a child in this age group absorb information better. Math is present in our everyday lives, and highlighting these various instances to a growing child can be loads of fun!
For example:
- getting your child involved with the decimals while measuring ingredients to bake cookies or cupcakes,
- practicing fractions with a pizza you ordered for dinner,
- or practicing multiplication while calculating how much to pay for movie tickets on a family day out – the opportunities are endless.
Getting parents involved also helps create a healthy environment for your child to grow and love the subject and this genuine passion for it will boost their learning with maths.
Creating any sort of animosity or hostility towards the subject can impair their relationship with it, especially in an academic setting, making it harder for them to score well. This can eventually have stronger repercussions later on, with a dislike for maths and a disregard for its practical importance. This is why it is so incredibly important to cultivate a healthy passion for the subject that is fuelled by the child’s genuine desire to learn more and know more.
