Every child has subjects that they absolutely hate, unkempt notebooks, crying sessions and tantrums to do its assignments, and screaming bloody murder the day before the said hated subject test. It is a horror show that the parents have an unpaid ticket to, but the subjects that THEY love are a soft spot for the kids in itself. Drawing heart eyes at the corners, practically jumping into assignments as they get back home, and acing every test with the bare minimum studying the night before.
Now, suppose you cannot figure out whether your kid loves or hates the subject; let’s say the subject is mathematics. Here are certain signs that your child enjoys it:
- They calculate quickly in their head, often faster than their peers.
- Have a love for puzzles and logic games such as sudoku.
- Enjoy the challenge of working through difficult problems.
If you think that the above characteristics are shared by your child, it seems that your child might enjoy competitive mathematics. And here are certain ways that you can support and encourage your child:
- Enroll them in courses that cater to their abilities: Gifted children need teachers who understand how they think and courses designed for learners. Online platforms such as Art of Problem Solving (AoPS), CompetifyHub, and Beestar.org provide practice problems, and websites such as BYJU’s and WeareTeachers provide video lessons and a list of math websites for teaching and learning.
- Helping them balance schedules: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and thus a balance between practice and play is necessary. Certain sample schedules may be that the child practices competitive math for 2 hours and does 2 hours of other school work every day or, alternatively, takes up competitive mathematics in a week.
- Connect with like-minded peers: Finding clubs or groups hosting such events proves to be a support to children and can help them feel understood and motivated.
- Discuss results positively: Children start taking results too seriously, and it ruins the fun of mathematics. It is important for the parents to get the children to understand that it is okay to fail or lose at times, but one should never take it to heart and should enjoy learning.
A recent math competition winner’s parents’ interview said that the parents have a key role in the journey of a child from their grade-level mathematics to competitive mathematics, and without their support, the child is almost at a crossroads every single time they get stuck at a problem.
The parents themselves should also not lose hope and keep motivating the child; however, it is necessary to understand when the child has lost interest in the subject and is just doing this because of competition. It is important to guide the child then and understand whether they want to pursue it further or not.
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