How to Nurture Your Child's Math Potential in Year 6

Year 6 maths is harder than you might think; and it’s testament to the strength and resilience of children and their primary school class.

The principal focus of mathematics teaching in upper key stage 2, especially Year 6 is to ensure that pupils extend their understanding of the number system and place value to include larger integers – numbers up to 10 million. This should develop the connections that pupils make between multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio. 

Number and Place Value

Engagement Tip: Make number exploration a hands-on experience by using manipulatives like base-10 blocks or place value charts. Encourage your child to create large numbers using digits provided or by rolling dice to generate random digits, fostering a deeper understanding of place value.

Common Mistake: Misunderstanding negative numbers. Help your child grasp the concept of negative numbers by relating them to real-world situations, such as temperature below zero or debt.

Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division

Engagement Tip: Turn everyday activities into opportunities for practicing arithmetic skills. Whether it's calculating change at the grocery store or estimating the total cost of items, encourage your child to apply mental math strategies in real-life scenarios.

Common Mistake: Forgetting the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS/BIDMAS). Remind your child to follow the correct sequence when solving multi-step problems involving multiple operations, emphasizing the importance of parentheses and exponentiation.

• PEMDAS = Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction

• BODMAS = Bracket, Order of powers, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction

• BIDMAS = Brackets, Indices, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction

Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

Engagement Tip: Use cooking or baking as a fun way to explore fractions and percentages. Have your child measure ingredients, adjust recipe quantities, and calculate ingredient proportions, reinforcing their understanding of fractions and decimals in a practical context.

Common Mistake: Confusion between fractions and division. Encourage your child to recognize that fractions represent division and to approach fraction problems by dividing the numerator by the denominator.

Ratio and Proportion

Engagement Tip: Incorporate hands-on activities that involve ratio and proportion, such as mixing paint colours in different ratios or scaling drawings or models. This allows your child to visualize and understand the concept of proportionality in a tangible way.

Common Mistake: Misinterpreting ratio notation. Encourage your child to read ratio notation carefully, emphasizing that the order of quantities matters (e.g., a ratio of 2:3 means two parts of the first quantity to three parts of the second quantity).

Algebra

Engagement Tip: Introduce algebraic concepts through puzzles and games that require logical thinking and problem-solving skills. Websites or apps with interactive algebra games can make learning algebra enjoyable and engaging for your child.

Common Mistake: Failing to represent unknowns algebraically. Encourage your child to define variables and express algebraic relationships clearly, helping them translate word problems into algebraic equations accurately.

Measurement

Engagement Tip: Plan outdoor scavenger hunts or measurement challenges that involve estimating and measuring distances, heights, or volumes using standard units. This interactive approach makes measurement concepts more tangible and memorable for your child.

Common Mistake: Incorrect unit conversions. Remind your child to pay attention to units of measurement, and encourage them to use conversion tables or diagrams to help visualize and solve conversion problems accurately.

Geometry

Engagement Tip: Use building blocks, tangrams, or geometry drawing tools to explore geometric shapes and properties. Encourage your child to create and manipulate shapes, making geometry lessons interactive and hands-on.

Common Mistake: Confusion between area and perimeter. Help your child distinguish between these two concepts by emphasizing that area measures the space inside a shape, while perimeter measures the boundary or outline of the shape.

Statistics

Engagement Tip: Analyze real-world data together as a family, such as sports statistics, weather data, or household surveys. Discuss trends, patterns, and outliers, encouraging your child to interpret data critically and draw meaningful conclusions.

Common Mistake: Misinterpreting graphs. Teach your child to read and interpret different types of graphs accurately, emphasizing the importance of labelling, scaling, and analysing data points in context.

By incorporating these tips and insights into your child's Year 6 mathematics journey, you can foster a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and promote a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom. Remember to celebrate their progress and achievements along the way, and never hesitate to reach out to teachers or tutors for additional support when needed.

Happy exploring and learning!

For additional resources, check out our blog about 11 Plus Maths Worksheets, Workbooks, & Games!