Starting in elementary school, you can help your child develop the skills that will lead to success in math. Here are suggestions:

• Be positive. Let your child know you believe everyone can be successful in math. If you say this often to your kids, they’ll start to believe it!

• Avoid stereotypes. Women can be engineers. Children of all races can be successful in school. In fact, students who are successful in math can go a long way toward breaking the stereotypes that others may hold.

• Talk about careers. Young children may decide that being a Ninja Turtle or a Power Ranger is a great career choice. Expand their horizons. Talk about careers that use math—being a weather forecaster, an airline pilot or an astronaut.

• Connect math to the real world. As you and your child go to the store, bank, restaurant, etc., point out ways people use math on bills, deposit slips, menus and tipping.

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