If your child hates math
Whose fault is it?

The mathematical concepts required for elementary school are not that numerous, and the level of difficulty is not that high.
However, when mothers teach math directly, children often end up hating math.
The first reason is the fear of getting the wrong answer.
The desire for my child to make no mistakes unknowingly puts pressure on my child and causes him to dislike math.
Second, if you explain abstract mathematical concepts at length, it can cause children who are already unfamiliar with the concept to avoid mathematics.
Third, if you teach in a confusing way, the child will not be able to intuitively accept math and will find it difficult.
If your child doesn't understand a math concept, don't get annoyed and just repeat it over and over again.
Let your child walk on his own, but when he runs, let him run freely, and when he is resting, wait without urging him.


Although this book was written for parents raising gifted children, reading it will teach you the basic mindset needed to raise children in ordinary families as well.
If we provide a good educational environment for gifted children with intellectual potential and allow them to have a happy childhood and adolescence, they can grow into gifted children with considerable abilities and exert a positive influence on society.
The only people who can create such an environment are parents.
Proper gifted education means that parents create an appropriate growth environment for their children.
By following the guidelines in this book, you will be able to resolve the issues you face as a parent of a gifted child and find a community to share those concerns with.

For children with high IQ, learning that is too easy, slow, and repetitive can have many negative consequences, but parents and teachers may not be aware of these difficulties.
If you look closely at the results of intelligence tests, you will see that children with an IQ of 125 or higher have developed vocabulary levels that are at least 2-3 years ahead of their grade level, and in some cases, 5-6 years ahead.
Not only their vocabulary level, but also their common sense, reasoning ability, memory, and instantaneous judgment and cognitive ability are already out of sync with the classes taught at their grade level.
In these cases, the child feels that the lessons are very repetitive, slow, extremely boring, and like an endless repetition of childish content.
Above all, it becomes difficult to respect a teacher who does not provide new knowledge.

So, is it possible to supplement this through private education? But the cold reality is negative.
There is no private education for these children.
Basically, private education, whether it is private tutoring or academy classes, is subject to the evaluation of regular schools.
Parents who invest time and money in these extracurricular activities would hope that they will help the school's evaluations.
The problem is that for highly intelligent children whose curriculum itself is not suitable, this type of private education is prolonging inappropriate classes.
--- p.16~17

There is no need to sit at a desk and do learning activities until the age of 8 or 9 (3rd or 4th grade in elementary school).
People working in the private education market argue that such habits should be developed from a young age, even if it is only one year old, but this argument is not based on any evidence.
Considering the developmental cycle of children, the harm outweighs the benefits.
While this will bring increased revenue to the private education industry, it also requires more active experiences and dynamism for growing children.
Even after the age of 8 or 9, we must maintain the effort and direction to internalize children's self-directed learning activities.
When we emphasize the various key principles of gifted education, it often sounds like we're telling parents to just sit back and watch, doing nothing.
But I am not making that claim.
Rather than being stingy with children under the age of 8 or 9, what parents should provide is to 'create good memories' with their children.
There is no such thing as too many diverse experiential activities.
There are many attractions to see, such as museums, art galleries, science centers, and observatories, and many activities are recommended, such as experiential activities, family trips, delicious food tours, amusement park visits, sledding, snowman building, water play, and camping.
--- p.80

When we bring in children who express an aversion to math, there are a few commonalities.
They are afraid of getting the wrong answer and hide their own answers.
If I had to guess, I think it's because I keep getting pointed out that I'm getting the wrong answer.
You have to keep telling them, as if hypnotizing them, that 'it's okay to be wrong'.
If you give them another chance even if they make a mistake, and if they give you a similar answer, you will be happy, encourage them, and praise them for doing well, and their attitude will change.


Children grow differently every day.
That's why the learning speed is also fast.
As fast as it is, children are learning something new every day.
So that's what makes it wrong.
It's important to remember that a high number of incorrect answers suggests that children are learning new material quickly.
The desire to have no wrong answers has the effect of unconsciously trapping children in what they are already familiar with.

Here's the most important secret to 'Mom Math Success'.
It's about making sure your child isn't afraid of getting the wrong answer.
In other words, it is about creating an attitude and habit that allows you to boldly try new things and come up with new ideas.
--- p.139~140

Raising highly gifted children requires a much higher level of cooperation from parents than other parents.
The division of roles I recommend is roughly as follows:
Mothers play the role of the villain, establishing daily habits and teaching and pointing out that children should not cause trouble or conflict within or outside the family, at least until adolescence.
In this situation, the father plays a role in protecting and comforting the child rather than the mother.
The reason mothers have to take on the villain role is that, in most cases, the younger the child, the more likely it is that the mother will be the primary caregiver.
In special circumstances within the home, such as when the mother works outside the home and the father is the primary caregiver, the roles may be reversed.
If the father or the spouse of the primary caregiver takes the side of the primary caregiver and pressures the child together to help the primary caregiver, it is less effective.
When a father or other caregiver is in a situation where he or she is coercing the child along with the primary caregiver, the child may feel somewhat oppressed as the power is 2:1.
Then, when the father or secondary caregiver goes to work and the mother or primary caregiver is left alone, in a one-on-one situation, the child may feel that he or she has the upper hand and has the advantage, so he or she may become more stubborn or rebel against the parents.

--- p.202~203