Raising Kids Who Love Math — Even If You Don't

Life Kit

NPR

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Kids & Family, Education, Business

4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2019

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Up to 93% of American adults have some degree of math anxiety. The problem often starts in elementary school, but parents can do a lot to fix it. We talk to experts to get some unexpected strategies for children of all ages, with a little bit of help from Sesame Street and, of course, the Count.

Here's what to remember:
- Your own math anxiety doesn't have to hold your kids back.
- Talk about math when you're sharing everyday activities.
- Play math — with board games, card games, puzzles, and more.
- Forget about right and wrong answers. Keep things open-ended — life, and math, are more fun that way.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ah ha, greetings, class, and welcome to counting school!
0:04.3	Where what you learn really counts!
0:06.7	So we want to start today with a little story about an old friend from Sesame Street.
0:10.4	I am your teacher, the count! Do you know why they call me the count?
0:14.3	Because he loves to count things!
0:17.2	I love the count, and Ken Scarborough knows him really well, because he's head writer at Sesame Street.
0:23.8	He's all identitly, he's wrapped up in being a count, and being a guy who knows his numbers really well.
0:29.3	Now of course for the count that we all know and love, numbers give him nothing but joy.
0:34.8	Nine! Nine sandwiches all together!
0:38.1	Ah ha ha!
0:39.8	But on this one day, it's different.
0:43.1	The count makes a mistake, and he sort of cannot believe it, he's crushed.
0:47.4	What number did he forget?
0:49.3	Well, somebody interrupted him, it's really not his fault.
0:52.7	He was counting sandwiches, he was really being helpful.
0:56.0	Nine sandwiches? Are you sure count?
0:58.8	Oh, but of course I am sure Chris, I am the count!
1:01.3	Ah ha! The count?
1:03.2	Um, how much did the count made a little mistake?
1:07.4	The mistake?
1:09.4	Yeah, see?
1:10.4	He really struck him to his core, and he decided he wasn't going to be the count anymore.
	...

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