Hello Minim Family,
Time flies and now we are in the full swing of schools and classes. We hope that everything has been going smoothly for the children and families!
Earlier this month, the Minim Math team came together to share about our experiences with teaching the children this core subject, and how we can learn from each other from these experiences.
One thing was very clear: children do not struggle with math for just one reason. Every child comes with a different mix of strengths, gaps, emotions, and learning contexts. Here are the five biggest lessons we have learned from teaching math across ages, levels, and backgrounds. We hope that by sharing them, we can learn from each other as well!
1. Math challenges are ofter emotional before that are academic
Some children know more than they think, but lack the confidence, motivation, or positive past experiences with math.
Here are some scenarios we have seen:
- Fear of getting answers wrong, and thus does not want to attempt the math problem at all
- Low confidence form being behind peers
- Avoidance of topics they dislike (e.g. fractions, multiplication, word problems)
What we do:
When we see this happening, it is essential that we spend the time to rebuild their confidence first. We can do this through giving children achievable questions and leveling up the difficulty gradually, visual tools, encouragement, and celebrate their progress.
When their confidence grows, learning follows.
Progress happens when we meet children exactly where they are
When learning math at school, it is difficult for teachers to cater to all types of learning. Some of the children may be far ahead of their grade level, and are eager for more challenges. Some children are behind their grade level and need help to understand the fundamentals before moving ahead.
Teaching to a fixed "grade standard" does not work, and it is important for us to assess the child's level of learning and meet them exactly where they are.
What we do:
- Every Minim Math Academy starts with a parent questionnaire, where parents will be able to let us know what they'd like their child to work on.
- The first math lesson is an aptitude test, where we can see where the child's actual level of math is.
- We fill the foundational gaps in topics before moving forward, or stretch advanced students with deeper, multi-step problems
- We constantly communicate with parents, and adjust difficulty in real time to keep children engaged but not overwhelmed.
All of this takes a lot of care and commitment in the learning process, and we are grateful to have a strong team of teachers and supportive families who work together to help the children grow their love and skill for the subject.
Understanding the process is more important than a "right answer"
This is something we see very often - many children rush, guess, or memorize without understanding how they got to the answer.
Guessing, rushing or memorization without understanding leads to gaps in understanding a topic (this happens a lot with multiplication, division, and big number addition and subtraction)
This also leads to many careless mistakes when working through math problems.
At Minim Math Academy, we spot these tendencies and immediately take the time to make sure that they understand the subject every step of the way. This builds a strong foundation in the subject as they move forward.
What we do:
We rarely say “right” or “wrong” immediately. Instead, we ask:
- “Are you sure?”
- “How did you get this answer?"
- “Why does this step work?”
This helps children slow down, reflect, and truly understand their thinking.
Adjusting teaching methods to build motivation and focus
The attention span, energy levels, and learning stamina vary greatly from child to child, and as educators and parents we adjust the teaching methods where necessary to allow children to build motivation and focus during learning. There is no "one size fits all" in teaching a subject, but having an open mind, good intentions and strong subject foundations
What we do:
- Break lessons into short, clear segments
- Use stickers, tokens, games, and challenges as motivatiion
- Schedule breaks intentionally
- Use hands-on materials, drawing, and movement to keep engagement high
Learning works best when children want to stay with the task
Parents are essential partners in a child’s math journey
The biggest breakthroughs happen when teachers and parents work together.
What we do:
- Share what the child can and cannot do
- Explain how and why we teach certain ways
- Show concrete progress over time (before-and-after work)
- Ask parents what motivates their child at home
- Ask how the child is doing in school, and if we needed to adjust our lessons to help the child build foundations and gradually catch up with school requirements, or we should move into more advanced topics where children are interested to do so
This builds trust, clarity, and continuity beyond the lesson room.
Help Us Support Your Child Better
Every child’s math journey is unique, and the best way for us to support your child is by understanding them better — their strengths, challenges, interests, and learning context.
If your child is currently learning with us, or if you are considering Minim Math Academy, we invite you to take a few minutes to complete our Math Parent Questionnaire.
Math Parent Questionnaire: https://forms.gle/jsyQ9k4v7iMHctyr6
Based on your responses, our team will recommend the most suitable first learning package for your child. This ensures that you receive the best-value and most appropriate option to start their math journey with confidence.
Learn more about Minim Math Academy: https://tinyurl.com/5dthc8r8
Thank you for partnering with us and trusting us with your child’s learning. Together, we can build not just math skills, but confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love for learning
Our passionate teachers offer lessons in Piano, Ukulele, Voice, Violin, Saxaphone, Flute, Oboe and Clarinet! All music academy lessons are held in the comfort of your home.
To sign up for private instrument lessons, please fill up the questionnaire here and we can take it from there: https://forms.gle/Dxz1cXjynBoS7sie8
Minim Math Club: A Math Afterschool Program
Minim Math Club commences in January with 3 classes: Tuesdays and Thursdays at Willowbrook International School, and an upcoming class at Nishimachi International School on Mondays (more details soon!)
Minim Math Club is based on the Singapore Math curriculum, and children can look forward to building strong foundations in math while engaging in fun word problem challenges that encourages critical thinking, problem solving skills and logical reasoning.
Learn more about Minim Math Club @ Willowbrook: https://tinyurl.com/tjvpuuuh
Minim Math Academy - Private Math Tutoring
Some say that Music is the Mathematics for the soul, and Mathematics is the Music for the mind.
If your child needs help with math, or you want them to have extra attention on the subject, we are here for you with the Minim Math Academy! We have a strong team of Singaporean educators who give it their all for children to understand math concepts with strong foundations, and we are heartened to hear that all current children on the program have benefitted from this.
We look forward to helping as many children as possible to learn math, and also love math!
Learn more and register here: https://tinyurl.com/5dthc8r8
For more information about our teaching team and philosophy, please visit our website at www.minim.family
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to approach any of our teachers, or contact us at contact@minim.family
Love,
All of us at Minim
