Creative Ideas for Using Worksheets

The profession of teaching is all about constantly responding to new challenges. As students evolve in the face of all the new technologies they are subjected to everyday, their demands change. What was once the leading edge in teaching can become passé quickly but one of the constants in the elementary school teaching ranks has always been the worksheet. These are invaluable tools for the elementary school teacher, and in changing times this useful tool has gone pretty much unchanged in its importance. And since mathematics continues as one of the most important subjects for elementary school children to grasp, the fundamentals of the elementary math worksheet and the thought processes behind them deserve a thorough look.

There are certain constructive guidelines that will help you and the children you teach be motivated. First off, it’s wise to remember that making the worksheet like a game and keeping it fun will entice the child to want to do more. Build a challenge into the task you set for the child so that he or she will want to rise to the challenge. Remember, nothing worth doing is easy, but for a child it’s good to make it enjoyable. A bad experience with a math worksheet could easily set the youngster off the whole subject entirely. Use the elementary math worksheets that you know the class is capable of but then act as if you’re not sure if they can do them. Saying things like,

“These problems might be very tricky for you,” is a great motivator.

Teachers should also watch they don’t demoralize students accidentally. Those who know certain things can inadvertently put off those who don’t and it’s especially easy for an adult to crush a child’s confidence. Always remember, it’s a teacher’s job to facilitate and not take over. To that end, make sure to keep your hands off the student’s elementary math worksheets, even when they make mistakes that you would find east to correct.

There are three things you should never do as a teacher and these are: Hold the worksheets up in front of the child when they can hold them by themselves. Pick up a child’s work uninvited and them what to do when you can just as easily give them a choice. Another common problem occurs when the child struggles with a particular problem presented on the elementary math worksheets. Here it’s best for you to let them linger on it for a few minutes before solving it for them. If you let frustration linger for too long it could become as demoralizing as the aforementioned mistake.

Remember to make it fun as well. Although elementary math worksheets are an important phase in their development, you don’t need to let them know how serious they really are. When the child grows tired or fidgety, change the pace of materials or move on to a brand new activity. There will always be time to come back to the worksheets later.

Fractions Worksheets
Multiplication Worksheets