Given that many parents express surprise at how enjoyable family math activities are, it is
apparent that many parents expect it will be difficult and frustrating to work on math with
their children, and I can only applaud those parents who come to a program even though
they expect to have a bad time. It makes sense that program organizers in all of the programs
I read about, or whose material I read, put an emphasis on making the activities enjoyable.
Parents themselves should have fun with the activities, and families should have
fun doing them together. Project PACT (1986) states it clearly: “Please make learning fun. It
is the best gift you can give your child
” (Project PACT: Parents and children together, p.
125). Andrea Lachance (2007) points out the two aims for family math nights organized at
her school: that every participant have an enjoyable experience, and that the night be well
organized.
Reading stories about math is a common practice in family math programs. It is a way to introduce literacy into the program, and provides something the parent can do at home; sometimes when the parents are meeting together, someone will gather the children in another room to read a story. The Esso Family Math Team screened books to meet standards that would ensure opportunities for learning meaningful mathematics. The criteria were:
an engaging story—more than just counting books, language that encourages mathematical understanding, open-ended rich problem contexts, a springboard that enables families to explore, to conjecture, and to reason logically, mathematics woven into appropriate illustrations and multiple levels of mathematical thinking that address a range of age, developmental levels, and learning styles (Chapple, 2005, p. 2).
There are several issues around language in family math programs. The first is that the activities should encourage children to talk about math, provide vocabulary to do so, for both children and parents, and model math thinking. For example, Bertrand says,
“…what is normal daily interaction with a child for me is not necessarily that of my [ABE] students. I am likely more “teachery.” For example, as I take my grandson up the stairs, we count the steps. I don’t know if that is learned or natural for parents but most of my [ABE] students do not do it” (Hagedorn, 2004, p. 29).
The writers of Project PACT again put it plainly for parents:
The key to many of these lessons is to talk to your child. Tell your child about what you are doing. Explain things as you do them. “Think out loud,” so your child will know how you make choices. (Project PACT: Parents and children together, 1986, p. 125)
Furthermore, family math programs often stress the modeling and “thinking out loud” techniques as facilitators show parents how to initiate math activities in a flexible, non-directive way that is often different from the more rigid ideas they may have about how to do or teach math.