Activities That Encourage Your Teen in Using Math In Real Life

Here are some ideas to help your teen grow as an individual and apply math skills that they learn in math class. This shortlist is just the beginning of a very long journey, but it's one worth taking!

Education is critical to success in life. In high school, it's important for your teen to not only learn the material but also how to apply it and use it in the real world.

Here are some everyday activities that will help them do just that:

Grocery Shopping

The number one question teens ask is "Why do I need to learn this?" This doesn't mean education isn't important. It just shows that your teen lacks the motivation to understand how math is used in everyday life. Grocery shopping is a great way for them to see why fractions are important.

When checking out at the store, you can ask your teen if they know how to split the bill evenly. They will need all of their skills in addition, subtraction, and multiplication to figure it out! If that doesn't work for them, then asking them to calculate the total price so you have an idea of what you should spend may do the trick. Either way is a great lesson on why math is essential for daily life!

Budgeting with Parents

Teens need to know how to make a budget whether they are paying for college on their own or simply managing their daily expenses. Sit down with them and create an online savings account that they can check at least once a week.

If your teen is shopping on their own, help them create a budget based on the store circulars you receive in the mail. Show them how much money they can spend per category (i.e., bread) so they don't overspend which will allow them to save more money for other important things like gas or school supplies.

Home Business

If your teen is interested in starting their own business, help them understand what they need to do before starting one.  They will need to research the market and potential demand for their product or service. When building a budget, show them how much money they can expect to make once they start selling their product. This will allow your teen to see if it's feasible for them without having to spend all of their own money on it first.

Encourage your teen to start their own home business. Many adults are becoming entrepreneurs, and are working for themselves rather than for someone else. Whether your child continues with a home business, or becomes an employee, managing a home business as a young person will make the financial principles floating around in their heads become a more concrete matter. When you have to balance books, suddenly math becomes a reality and your teen will realize exactly why they are putting in long hours to learn these concepts.

Research Schools

Applying for colleges is a major step in your teen's life, and their future success depends on where they get accepted. If they are considering multiple options, have them research the average SAT scores of students who attend each school to see if there's one that might be better suited for them.

Research schools and colleges based on what interests them, their majors, and potential costs using websites like The College Board or College MatchMaker.

Divide the total cost by four so you can get an idea of how much money to contribute towards college every month. Allow your teen take care of the rest! This will give them a sense of responsibility while also teaching them about the importance of saving up enough money throughout high school to meet this goal.

Product Shopping

Create a chart comparing various products to make sure they buy the best one, including price comparisons and personal reviews from trusted sources such as Consumer Reports.

Is this shirt or blouse going to have a 20% discount once the sale has ended? What if I'm not sure, but still want some kind of price breakdown before shopping. If you want to save money, it's important that know the price before heading out. That's where basic math skills and at least an understanding of how percentages work in general, come in handy!

Every year, millions of new or updated products are released to the market. Many people will either ask a friend for advice on what they should buy or go online and read reviews from other people who have purchased them. Teens may not be able to make purchases on their own yet, but they can begin researching what items will be best for them based on their preferences and needs.

Volunteering

It's never too early to teach your teen about how money works and what they can expect in the future when it comes to financial responsibilities. Volunteering is a great way for them to get out of the house and help others who are less fortunate.

Explain to your teen that every time they volunteer, their hourly wage is donated directly through an online donation directory like Volunteer Match or Service Nation. This will allow them to see firsthand why it's important they learn how much money is earned per hour and hopefully make volunteering more appealing in the long run.

Whether you're looking for ideas on how to help your teen grow as an individual or need guidance in helping them apply what they learn in math class, this shortlist of resources is a great place to start. This list will not cover everything and there are many other avenues available that can be explored depending on the needs of each family. But hopefully, these few items will provide some insight into where to begin!