How to Get Kids to Like Math

Math is often not a student’s favorite subject. In fact, some might even say that they dread it. They see math as an insurmountable challenge—lots of puzzles with no clear solutions.

Part of the problem is that traditional classroom settings often don't meet children where they are. Lessons can move too quickly and build on concepts that students haven’t mastered yet. This can leave some kids feeling lost in a sea of fractions and decimals. 

And then on the flip side of the coin, other students may find themselves bored and wanting to be challenged. They are quick to want to move on to the next lesson.

So the question of the day is, how do we help students not only understand math but also learn how to like math? 

It’s all about finding ways to make math fun, engaging and relevant to their everyday lives. With the right approach, we can turn math from a dreaded subject into an exciting adventure full of discovery and wonder. 

Let’s explore some creative strategies to help students start enjoying math and, who knows, maybe even look forward to it!

Each child is unique and will likely require an individualized approach to their math education. 

That said, there are four main ways that you can work to help your child love math. Communicating about why a child may or may not love math, using math in your everyday life, relating math to what your child loves and gamifying learning to make math fun. 

Let’s dive into why each of these options might be the one for you.

One of the best ways to help your child love math more is to open up a dialogue about it. Sit down with them and have an honest conversation about why they find math challenging. 

Is it a particular concept that confuses them, like fractions or multiplication tables? Or do they feel anxious because math class moves too quickly? 

By understanding their specific concerns, you can better address the root of the problem.

This conversation isn’t just about identifying obstacles—it’s also an opportunity to show empathy and support. Let your child know that it's okay to feel frustrated and that everyone finds certain subjects challenging at times. 

You might even share a story from your own school days when you struggled with a subject but eventually overcame it. By validating their feelings and reassuring them that they’re not alone, you can help reduce the negative emotions associated with math. This makes room for more positive experiences. 

Another way to help a child love math is to show them how it applies to their everyday life. When kids see the practical value of math, it becomes more than just numbers on a page. It turns into a useful tool they can use to solve their everyday problems. 

Start by involving them in activities that require everyday math, like cooking. Ask them to measure ingredients or double a recipe. This can help them practice fractions and multiplication and see how math is important to creating their favorite dish.

Shopping trips can also be a great opportunity to practice math skills. Encourage your child to help you calculate the total cost of items in your cart or figure out how much change you should get back. 

Even something as simple as telling time, planning a trip or counting out their allowance can reinforce mathematical concepts in a fun and engaging way. By making math a regular part of their day, you’ll help them see it as a natural and enjoyable skill instead of a chore.

Every child has unique interests and passions, whether it's sports, video games, music or art. Tapping into these interests can be a powerful way to make math more enjoyable. 

For instance, if your child loves sports, use statistics from their favorite game to teach math concepts like averages, percentages or probability. 

If they're into video games, you can discuss the math behind game design, from character movement algorithms to scoring systems.

For kids who enjoy music, explain how math is fundamental to rhythm and patterns. Maybe they love to entertain and tell jokes. You can encourage them to learn a few math jokes. Even drawing can be an opportunity to explore geometry and shapes. 

By connecting math to the things your child already loves, you make it more relatable and engaging, showing them that math is everywhere—and it’s anything but boring!

Turning learning into a game can be a game-changer (no pun intended!) for children who struggle with math. When educational activities feel like play, kids are more likely to engage with the material and stay motivated. 

Gamifying learning takes advantage of this by incorporating elements of fun, competition and rewards to make math more appealing. This approach can transform a challenging math problem into an exciting puzzle to solve. They might earn points, receive badges or even embark on virtual adventures.

Games naturally encourage practice through repetition, which is essential for mastering math concepts. By using games, like Prodigy Math, that adapt to a child's skill level, they can learn at their own pace and build confidence as they progress. 

Whether it's a math app, board game or hands-on math activity, gamifying learning makes math enjoyable and accessible. It can quickly turn what might have been a source of frustration into a fun and rewarding experience.

Prodigy Math is a leader in the educational space because of our commitment to student success. We are constantly improving our content and gameplay to keep students having fun and learning according to current math curriculum standards.

We’ve even conducted a survey to measure how playing on Prodigy can increase students’ enjoyment of math. Here are a few details of that study:

The pre-survey launched in February 2020 at the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The post-survey was launched in May 2020.

A total of 1,912 students new to Prodigy in 3rd to 6th grade had the opportunity to respond to the in-game statements on a Likert scale.* This five-point scale allowed them to express how much they agreed or disagreed with statements about how much they enjoy math and feel confident doing it.

*Responding to questions was/is optional for students. All data is anonymized and aggregated. No personally identifiable information (PII) was collected from students during this process.

Students quickly went from reporting low enjoyment from math activities to feeling much more positive about their math learning.

• From Survey 1 to Survey 2, we observed a significant increase in math enjoyment and confidence among students who had low enjoyment or confidence in Survey 1.**
• Enjoyment and confidence stayed approximately unchanged among students who had high enjoyment or confidence in Survey 1.***

Comparison was made between users with low versus high math enjoyment in Survey 1. Comparison with a "no Prodigy use" control group was not available for this analysis.
*Findings are based on responses to questions at the time. Individual circumstances may vary, results are not guaranteed.

For students (n = 230) who gave a low score for “I enjoy math” in Survey 1 (mean = 1.24), there was a significant increase in their Survey 2 score (mean = 2.89).

Bonus findings

More than half of the students surveyed said they really enjoyed math.

• On average, students reported high levels of enjoyment and confidence in math in both surveys across the grades with more than half of all students giving a score of 5.

Younger students are more confident.

• In both surveys younger students (Grades 3 and 4) reported slightly higher enjoyment and math confidence than older students (Grade 6).