X plus y writing with chalk on whiteboard

Your child’s success in learning basic math concepts will have a lasting impact on their learning and problem-solving abilities over the entire course of their lives. If you want your child to develop the ability to make sound analysis and cogent reasoning, you should nurture in your child an understanding of basic math concepts.

Having a strong foundation in math will enable your child to make sense of how math plays out in daily life and how to apply problem-solving skills to any problem they may encounter. If you want to know more about effective tutoring strategies to help your child develop a strong grasp of basic math concepts, you can find out here. Furthermore, here are some reasons why it’s important for your child to understand basic math concepts:

1. Lessons Build Up On Previous Ones

During the elementary and high school years, students learn new math concepts and skills each year. The concepts and skills they learn in a given year serve as the foundation for the lessons of the following year. The teaching system is designed in such a way that the lessons taught to students build upon what was taught and learned in the previous year.

Because of how the lessons are designed and taught, it’s important for students to have a strong understanding of the lessons they learn each year so they can understand the next year’s lessons and be able to answer the math problems. Even with the shift to online and distance learning, they’d still need to have a strong grasp of basic math. This is why it’s crucial for students to have a strong foundation in basic math concepts, lessons, and operations.

2. Strong Basic Math Skills Save Time

Young students need a strong grasp of basic math operations such as addition and subtraction. They need these skills to move on to learning multiplication and addition and solving math problems with ease.

Multiplication and division, in turn, are necessary to learn and understand all math courses above a certain grade. That’s why it’s really helpful if students know the multiplication table by heart and can give answers to basic multiplication questions without having to solve it using pen and paper.

The reason why a lot of students become frustrated with their math homework is that they become impatient with the time it takes to solve it. Another reason is that they don’t understand why they have to solve math problems. But students won’t feel as frustrated once they’re able to answer basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division questions without having to use a calculator.

3. Students Benefit From Learning Math Concepts

Research has shown that students benefit from learning the concepts behind the math problems they’re being taught rather than just learning the rote procedures that they do to solve the math problems.

A research study done by Vanderbilt University found out that students benefit more from learning the concepts behind the math problems that they’re taught instead of just familiarizing themselves with the exact procedures that are required to solve the math problems.

These findings give new insights to teachers, and eventually, these insights will prove very useful and helpful in redesigning and reshaping math instruction at the elementary and high school levels so it can have the greatest impact on young students.

School concept – Math symbols on wooden blocks. 3d illustration

4. Learning Math Is Good For The Brain

Studies conducted by Stanford University have shown that studying math is very healthy and helpful to the brain. The results of the study indicate that children who know math can use certain regions of their brain more effectively as compared to those who didn’t know math. The same study also found out that these children have more developed gray matter volume in these important brain regions compared to children who didn’t perform well in math.

The brain regions referred to in the study are those involved in various tasks which require cognitive activity. These cognitive tasks are those that require visual attention and decision-making, which are crucial in many important aspects of life. Although the study’s findings were only correlation and not causation, these findings indicate that the brain regions that are used in studying math are also the same brain regions needed in making sound decisions.

5. Math Helps Develop Problem-Solving Skills

Another reason why it’s important for young students to learn basic math concepts is that math helps develop the abilities of analysis and reasoning among young learners. Because of its highly analytic nature, math helps learners think in an analytic way. Math also helps them develop better reasoning abilities. The ability to reason is important to think logically about any given situation. On the other hand, analytical thinking is essential for critical thinking.

Young learners might not think that their ability to solve basic math problems—or even practical problems such as how fast a train is moving or a ball is falling from a window—have any practical usefulness. But the mental training that they get from studying math helps develop in them the ability to frame any problem or situation they face in life. They’ll learn to sort what information is known or given and what information is unknown and can be considered variables.

They need to develop this ability to frame problems and situations so they can also come up with approaches or steps that would lead them to the solutions to their own practical problems. It’ll also teach them that sometimes there’s more than one solution and that both or all of these solutions are correct. That’s how they can have decisive decision-making skills and life choices that they may encounter.

6. Basic Math Is Required In Most Careers

Most professions and careers require some knowledge of math. Some require just basic math, while others require more advanced math skills. Of course, careers that require highly technical skills such as those of scientists and engineers demand proficiency in higher mathematics, but they’re not the only ones that do.

Other careers also require some basic math skills. Lawyers also need to make computations when they’re handling claims for compensation and damages. Warehouse staff needs math to keep inventory. Cashiers need basic arithmetic skills. Chefs need some basic math skills in estimating volumes and temperatures. Most of these other workers may only use math in an intuitive way, but they still need it so they can do their work properly.

Do The Math

Children will immensely benefit from learning the basic math concepts behind the operations and math problems they do. It turns out that learning even these simple concepts gives them a stronger and firmer foundation in life.