3 Reasons for Developing Math Skills

How many times has your child said something like, “Why am I learning math? I’m never going to use this stuff in real life!”

It may feel like this for kids, but they need to understand that math is more than just numbers on a page—it’s a crucial skill that helps us navigate the world. From splitting the bill at a restaurant to calculating discounts at the store, math is everywhere in our daily lives.

In this article, “3 Reasons for Developing Math Skills,” we’ll explore why these everyday math challenges highlight the importance of boosting your child’s math skills. Among other reasons, Math helps develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and gives us all a deeper understanding of the world.

So, the next time your child asks, “Why do I need to study math?” you’ll have four great reasons to give them!

How Math Impacts Development

1. Solving Math Problems Also Teach You How To Solve Life Problems

One of the first things you learn in math is to identify a problem and work towards a solution. Though anyone can memorize a mathematical question and its answer, when you learn the reasoning behind the answer and how you got there, you are developing critical problem-solving skills that apply to everything in life! Basic math generally has one path to a solution, but more complex math makes you think outside the box; sometimes there’s more than one pathway to the answer! There may be a few ways to get an answer for a solution, but knowing how to  to get there involves critical thinking.

2. Math Helps Communication Skills and Language

Your language skills as a whole depend on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. All of these are applied when studying math. To succeed in math, you must read the problem. You then write and practice it to get the concept correct. Once you do understand the idea, you’ll have to express your reasoning and how you came to the solution at hand. A good life example is when you pay for your groceries at the store, you must listen to the total given to you by the cashier, and the cashier must count and explain your change, if any.

3. Math Teaches Financial Skills

As an adult, you rarely go through your day without paying for something. Whether it’s a tank of gas or a gallon of milk from the grocery store, you’ll need to know how to manage your money. As a kid, this can start early on by counting cash and saving it in a piggy bank. It then becomes more complex as you age, such as paying taxes and balancing your checkbook. Either way, math and financial skills go hand in hand.

Discover Engineering For Kids

Here at Engineering For Kids, we understand that math is more than just numbers — and those with mathematical knowledge have a greater advantage in the real-world. EFK was created to provide kids with the opportunity to learn about this important subject in a new way, expanding on what they’re already learning in school!

From after school programs to birthday parties, experience the difference our enrichment programs can make. Contact your local EFK today!