For some parents, math was their favorite subject in school. For others, it was a bear.
Regardless, though, helping your children excel in the subject is more important than ever.
That’s why Riverside School District 96’s Family Math Night from 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 25 at Hauser Junior High School will help parents and students learn about not only the curriculum, but ways to find math outside of class – and just maybe find it fun.
“Families have a chance to really learn how their students are going to engage in mathematical thinking and then replicate those conversations at home by noticing math around them,” said Sara Hickey, who is a district instructional coach across all elementary schools.
Families don’t have to sign up ahead of time for the event. They are encouraged to simply arrive ready to learn.
Now, if you think the event will be a mish-mash of math problems on a whiteboard for 90 minutes, you’re wrong, Hickey said. Core will be math games, including time-honored favorites like Battleship, Monopoly and Uno – all of which will be raffled off at the end of the evening.
“Math games encourage kids to slow down, consider the problem and devise a solution,” she said. “We’re really discussing board games that support those same concepts of problem solving.”
Of course, the district’s core math resource, i-Ready, will be front and center, but so will as many as 15 teachers along with a group of Hauser students to help out. The latter of which will be a big help at the BINGO game at the end of the evening. District superintendent Dr. Martha Ryan-Toye will also be there to greet families as they arrive.
This is the second time the district has hosted a Family Math Night, part of the Family Learning Night series. The first was in 2023, and last year’s was Family Reading Night. Each event, including a Family Science Night in 2024, draws between 50 and 100 families.
Hickey said other districts host learning nights, but they are typically focused on adults.
Family Math Night is different. There will be brief parent information sessions, including one in Spanish, to share about the district’s math curriculum. Childcare will also be provided.
“This is really more about families and students learning together and doing that kind of thinking at home,” she said. “This brings community together around learning.”
That said, how can parents make math more approachable for their student, especially if that student doesn’t care for math?
“You can simply ask students questions when they are doing their homework,” Hickey suggested. “The more you can get kids talking about what they are doing, the more families can support them at home.”
