Articles, Mathematics, Numeracy

The importance of numeracy skills beyond the classroom

Mathematical and numeracy symbols representing a strong foundation, leading to growth through remedial math.

As a passionate maths tutor with years of experience, I have worked with students of many different abilities across all grades. Some students need help with maths because they have fallen behind, while others require remedial maths support to strengthen important foundational maths skills. Although every child’s situation is unique, many share the same challenge: a lack of confidence and understanding in mathematics.

Foundational Math Skills

When students do not develop strong foundational maths skills early on, the effects can extend far beyond the classroom. Weak foundations often create ongoing difficulties in later school years and can even affect confidence in the working world. Too often, students are expected to memorise methods without fully understanding why those processes work. As a result, many struggle to adapt when maths questions are presented in unfamiliar ways. This issue is often compounded when students cannot read for meaning. It is a significant concern that they may never develop the confidence to apply  both comprehension and numeracy skills in everyday situations.

“But when will I use this in real life?”

One of the most common questions students ask is, “But when will I use this in real life?” In many cases, students ask this because they have never been shown how mathematics connects to the world around them. Maths is far more than numbers on a page; it develops logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to approach challenges with confidence. These are essential skills for growing children and valuable tools throughout adult life.

Is your child growing in confidence?

As a maths tutor, my passion lies not only in helping students improve their marks, but also to grow their confidence by helping them discover a different way of learning. A way that encourages curiosity, welcomes questions, and adapts when traditional methods are not effective. Every child learns differently, and effective maths intervention often begins when concepts are explained from a new perspective.

Conclusion

My hope for every student I work with is that they develop a strong foundation and a genuine sense of logic. These skills do more than improve maths performance — they help students become stronger critical thinkers, more confident problem-solvers, and more capable learners in every area of life.

Articles, Literacy

Mathematics Literacy Practice

Abacus (Math Literacy)

Literacy levels are the focus of the first three years of a child’s school life. The rest of their education hinges on the strength of the foundation created during this time.

Foundation Phase Literacy

As discussed in my article ‘What is Literacy?’, there are many different types of literacy. In the foundation phase the main focus is on LANGUAGE literacy and NUMERACY (also known as MATH literacy). By the end of Grade 3, children need to have a solid foundation in both of these literacies in order to cope effectively in the inter-sen or senior phase. When a solid foundation has not been laid, teachers often see a dramatic drop in marks from Grade 4 onwards.

Children who were doing very well in math in grade 1-3 might see a dip in marks in grade 4-5 because of their inability to read effectively. There is a link between language literacy and a child’s math marks later in school. As children move up through the grades, Math becomes more and more language based. To complete story sums and exam questions, children need to be able to read accurately, quickly and must understand what is being asked of them in order to answer the questions correctly.

Lockdown goodness

Despite how difficult the last year or so has been, many great things came out of lockdown and one of them is the fact that I came across the Play! Math website. I immediately ordered two Play! Math bundles for my nephews. I was astounded when delivery took place the following day. I love quick and efficient service and theirs is impeccable. They follow up swiftly with queries and seem very proactive and professional. As promised, the material I ordered was solid, old fashioned, perfectly laid out practice material, free of fancy fluff and bubble window dressing to make it look good.

Play!Math

Play! Math is owned and run by Anna Bezuidenhout who is the founder, author and content developer of their materials. I’ve never met Anna but it is evident that she is passionate about what she is doing. Her company provides CAPS aligned math worksheets, assessments, quizzes and exams papers for grades 1-7. Her goal is to “reach and assist as many learners across South Africa as possible”.

Content

The bundles per grade consist of the following:

  • Learner book & Answer book
  • Printable Assessments & Memo
  • Printable Exams & Memo
  • Printabe Timestables sheets
  • Free shipping

For a preview of their materials CLICK HERE.

Cost

Her prices are very affordable at the ridiculous low rate of R280 per bundle. Materials are grade specific and come in English or Afrikaans. Her product bundles are perfect for extra support for the home-schooling community as well as children in mainstream schooling. In fact these bundles are aimed at any parent that would like to give their child more opportunity to practice math in order to hone their skills and further develop their math literacy.

Conclusion

Play!Math has provided South Africa with a Math practice product that is comprehensive, simple to use and value for money.

Links

Play!Math

Additional Reading

Number Sense
https://mathsnoproblem.com/blog/teaching-practice/number-sense/

What is number sense
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/math-issues/number-sense-what-you-need-to-know

Why is numeracy so important?
https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/about/what-numeracy/why-numeracy-important

Why you can’t skip reading to your child for 20 minutes per day
https://lbliteracy.co.za/why-you-cant-skip-reading-to-your-child-for-20-minutes-per-day/

What is Literacy?
https://lbliteracy.co.za/what-is-literacy/

To explore working with a reading therapist in Randburg / Sandton and other areas in Johannesburgcontact us for a consultation to discuss how we can assist you.