Okay, so I’m talking about the two most important questions you can ask your kids to help develop mathematical thinking.

Wait! Don’t go. Math often receives short shrift. It’s unfortunate because math, taught correctly, teaches us how to effectively problem solve. It’s also the perfect subject to teach our kids persistence. Research has shown that kids who are persistent tend to do better academically. And doing well academically has great benefits in life.

The two most important questions:

#1: WHY? “Why” is important to ask because you want to discover your child’s strategies and reasons. You want them to think about their thinking and solidify their learning.

#2: WHAT IF? “What If” is important to ask because you want kids to discover many different ways to solve a problem, extend their thinking, and elicit their creativity.

Asking questions is extremely important in:

-knowing what your kids know
-understanding their thinking process
-guiding them
-having them think about their thinking (metacognition)
-teaching them to be effective problem solvers
-teaching them to be persistent
-showing them there can be more than one way to solve a problem
-helping them solidify their learning

If you’re looking for “easy” ways to help your child in math…start with these two questions. You just may discover a lot about your child and, perhaps even yourself.