Problem solving
At school, students have opportunities
to engage in problem solving tasks.
At home, mathematical problem solving
can take on many different forms.
For example, budgeting, time
scheduling, measuring and constructing
are all situations where children would
need to problem solve.
Problem solving, being the process of
finding solutions to challenging issues,
is an essential component of your
child’s mathematical journey.
As your child works through problem
solving tasks at home,
here are some strategies you can
encourage them
to use and questions you can ask them:
Strategies:
- Drawing a diagram or picture
- Make a simpler but similar problem
- Use concrete objects to represent the problem
- Use a mathematical model (e.g., ten frame,
number line, array, etc.)
- Guess and check
- Look for a pattern
- Work backwards
- Use a formula
- Check your answer - does it make sense?
