Numeracy is one of the most important skills for persons all around the world and especially in highly-developed countries like the UK. Numbers and Mathsare used in many fields like engineering, business, science and technology. Two centuries ago, people became aware of the importance of literacy and those who didn’t follow this trend didn’t have many chances to succeed. The same thing is happening with numeracy today. But, how does one develop numeracy skills, when does this process begin and can people improve their skills when they become adults?
In early childhood, children usually get familiar with the concept of numbers. Even before they go to school they learnto count to 10 (or even more). However, it is true that they don’t really understand the true meaning of numbers. This means that they can count but they cannot say whether they have been playing with 6 or 7 friends, for example. Many people in the world believe that humans are born with certain mathematic skills, but that’s not correct. It is surprising that about 30% of people in the UK assume that Mathematics is a skill you are born with. This is a skill that has to be taught. Schools play a crucial role in this process, although today, thanks to the rapid advance of technology, children learn more about the concept of Mathematics with the help of computers too. There are many Mathematics games found online and they can be very interesting and challenging. So, children (as well as adults) can enjoy playing these games.
Now let’s get back to the adults. As previously mentioned, a surprisingly high number of them believe that children are born with numeracy skills. One of the reasons for this belief can be traced to their socio-economic background. Although the United Kingdom is one of the most developed countries with many college-educated adults, the fact is that there are many people with lower education. According to some statistics, this socio-economic background affects a child’s achievement by 10% to 20%. Even though this number looks low, this can mean a lot in this Digital Age that we are living in. Numeracy skills are very respected among employers and,in addition to regular interviews and experience and education checks, they often conduct numeracy tests. This is quite logical because most job positions today are related to numeracy. Any company will surely greatly benefit from an employee with such skills. In case you didn’t know, people who have well-developed number skills find it much easier to develop a set of other skills where numbers are used as a foundation. So, parents should support their children in their efforts to improve numeracy skills and they can do this in many ways – by teaching them the basics of Mathematics, enrolling them on courses and supporting them at school.
Finally, they can also play Maths games together with their children and work on both their own and their children’s skills. This is an activity that can bring benefit for people regardless of their age and gender.
