Numeracy
What is numeracy?
It's the ability to understand and use maths in daily life, at home, work or school.
Numeracy doesn't mean complex skills, like algebra, it means being confident enough to use basic maths in real-life situations.
There is no universally agreed definition, but at National Numeracy we define numeracy as:
Numeracy is having the confidence to use basic maths at work and in everyday life.
So, numeracy means two things: having basic maths skills and feeling confident in using them.
It is confidence that unlocks our numeracy skills. Many adults, as well as children, avoid using maths, just because they don't feel confident, or even feel anxious about it. Numeracy is about being confident with the numbers and data that can crop up in daily life.
Why is numeracy important?
"Good numeracy is the best protection against unemployment, low wages and poor health."
Andreas Schleicher
OECD
We use maths in every aspect of our lives at work and in practical everyday activities at home and beyond. We use maths when we go shopping or plan a holiday, decide on a mortgage or decorate a room. Good numeracy is essential to us as parents, helping our children learn, as patients, understanding health information, as citizens, making sense of statistics and economic news. Decisions in life are so often based on numerical information; to make the best choices, we need to be numerate.
Numeracy in everyday life:
We use numeracy every day in all areas of our lives. Our confidence and ability with numbers impacts us financially, socially, and professionally. It even affects our health and wellbeing.
Some examples of the ways we use maths every day include:
- Working out how many minutes until our train
- Increasing a recipe to serve extra guests
- Checking if we've received the right change
- Working out how much to tip in a restaurant
- Setting and keeping to a budget
- Helping children with homework
- Managing our diet and nutrition
- Measuring medicine doses
- Making sense of statistics and graphs in the news
How can you support your child with numeracy?
- Be positive about maths. Try not to say things like "I can't do maths" or "I hated maths at school" – your child may start to think like that themselves.
- Point out maths in everyday life. Include your child in activities involving numbers and measuring, such as shopping, cooking and travelling.
- Praise your child for effort rather than for being "clever". This shows them that by working hard, they can always improve.
To find out more or engage with some numeracy activities, please follow the link below:
https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/helping-children-maths
