Every child is unique, learning in various ways, and engagement often leads to greater motivation and learning.

The summer break presents an ideal opportunity for learning in a fun and relaxed environment.

This article offers tips on how to boost your child’s maths skills this summer without them even realising it! So have a read and see how you can use our tips; you can adapt them for your child as you wish.

Self-checkout your child’s maths skills!

Using the self-checkout at supermarkets is an excellent way to enhance your child’s maths abilities. Try covering the total on the screen and asking your child to predict the new total after each item is scanned. The prices being displayed in a list can help with children working out the answer more quickly and with confidence.

Who, where and when?

Involve your child in planning a busy day by informing them of the activities, but here is the catch – have them calculate the time needed for each part, including travel. For instance, if you are visiting a theme park, provide basic details like travel time, option of rides, and operating hours. Encourage them to work out the travel duration, the number of rides they can enjoy, and the estimated return time.

Times tables on the go

It doesn’t matter how much time you have or where you are. You can quickly test your child’s times tables skills from anywhere. To help make it fun, AE Publications has a range of Times Tables workbooks. 48 flash cards are included with Workbooks 2 and 3, making them ideal to use when travelling on holiday, or taking time out from a busy day. Just 10 minutes a day of practising times tables can ensure that they excel in their maths over the summer holidays.

The Times Tables series of workbooks provides a basis for children to learn their 2x table all the way up to their 20x table. The workbooks aid understanding of number relationships and the concepts of multiplication and division, and are designed to be used in conjunction with our series of Maths workbooks (Include link to filtered bookshop) and testbooks.

Our Times Tables series has been rigorously classroom tested for over 35 years. It helps children to recall times tables at random and build effective number bonding skills. See for yourself in this short video

Testing their speed

For older children, test their understanding of distance and speed during summer drives to various locations. Let them know the number of miles and the average speed at which you will be travelling, and see if they can calculate the duration of the journey.

These are just a handful of suggestions for spontaneous practice and assessment of your child’s maths skills. Engaging their minds while they enjoy summer activities is an excellent way to ensure they start the new term in September with confidence.