I am passionate about financial education. I really feel that as young people we aren’t taught enough about the skills required to manage our money when we get older. A big part of this is maths skills. Whilst I was never great at managing my money, I was lucky enough to always enjoy maths and not struggle with it too much. A lot of parents see their kids’ maths homework and think “I need maths homework help now!” For me it’s a really important part of money management and so when I found out about The Maths Factor I was really excited to find out more.
What is The Maths Factor?
It was founded in 2010 by Carol Vorderman and then acquired by Pearson – one of the world’s leading educational organisations – in 2013. They now work together to keep it up to date and in line with the National Curriculum. Whether your child finds maths easy, or needs a little extra help, this is a brilliant programme. It consists of video demonstrations, fun games and great resources and teaching. In 2017 a study of parents said that 93% saw an increase in the confidence of their children who were using the programme. 85% saw an increase in their child’s abilities within 6 months. Those are great numbers!
Carol’s teaching style is friendly and accessible. Children feel that they are involved with and engage with the programme. There are warm ups, sessions with questions, and homework. Kids like trying to beat their own scores and they enjoy earning the medals and cups and so are pushing themselves without them even realising. You can always access the videos and lessons again if your child gets stuck or needs some additional help. The Maths Factor games are in particular popular as they are really fun but the kids are learning – so they are liked by adults and kids alike. Instilling a love of maths early on will set them up for good things in their future. One of my favourite comments on the parent feedback section is that of the parents of a child who used to struggle with maths, but they started doing The Maths Factor with her and now she has a GCSE grade A and is going on to do A-Level maths! Another favourite comment is the difference it has made to a child with dyslexia and dyspraxia! This programme really is making a difference!
Another great thing about The Maths Factor is that you can visit the site and look at a few of the sessions for free so you can see if the style will work for you. There are different packages available – monthly subscription which is £9.99, quarterly which is £27.50 or yearly which is £99. They regularly run offers where you can get your first month for just £1 as well. It really is worth giving it a go and seeing if it can help your child.
I cannot wait to use programmes like this with my niece as she grows up as I am determined that she understand the value of money and that she won’t make the same mistakes I’ve made!
