Helping to develop a strong mathematics skillset for your child is one of the best things you can do for their education. Math is so important to our everyday life, but, unfortunately, it tends to be one of the topics that children dislike the most. There are a lot of challenges that come with teaching math to little kids, but with the following tips in mind and some dedication, you'll help your child both improve their math skills and grow to love mathematics in no time at all.

1. Play, play and play some more.

It is no secret that children learn best when they play, so why not start there? In fact, there is so much more math in your child's daily toys and activities than you may think. For example, blocks and puzzles are great for counting, sorting and stacking. You'll want your child to be hands-on with whatever game you give them so they can form ideas in their mind and come up with solutions without your help. What's better is that when you incorporate simple counting, adding and subtracting activities into their favorite games, they won't even realize they're developing a skill. So it's a win-win for everyone.

2. Read a variety of math books.

Bring the classroom home by investing in a bunch of math books. The great thing about children's books is that they easily incorporate life lessons into them, so you'll want to stock up and show them to your child as often as you can! Doing so will get them familiar with math concepts, such as basic shapes, symmetry and asymmetry and angles. There are even activity books that are geared towards your child's age and skill level, such as geometry for kindergarteners, that will do all the work for you. All you have to do is supervise! These books are made to be engaging for young kids, so you won't need to work hard to engage your kindergartner with different shapes like octagons, triangles, squares and even hexagons—the math unit in the activity book will engage them for you! You'd be amazed what geometry skills they'll be gaining.

3. Take them grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping is one of the easiest ways to learn math because numbers are all over the grocery store! There are shelves full of items just waiting to be picked and sorted, so bring your kiddo with you to help out. Explain how much you need of each item, and have them bring everything to your cart, counting aloud as they do so. If they are able to read, ask them to help read food ingredient labels, count calories and other nutrients, and even compare brands and prices. For the more advanced child, start explaining budgeting and the value of money to them as well.

4. Let them help you cook and bake.

There's a ton of weighing and measuring that goes into cooking and baking, so encourage your children help you out in the kitchen Doing so will not only help build aspiring chefs, but it will get your children familiar with different quantities, fractions, temperatures and cooking times. This will be quite easy to do with a little bit of supervising and creativity, and after all, what's the worst that can happen? If the meal gets messed up, you can easily order in a pizza!

5. Use technology.

Technology can be a force of good when it comes to math—there are tons of easy math activities online that can help your child with their daily lessons. When it comes to making math interesting, go the visual route. When a child is engaged, they are more likely to enjoy what they are doing and remember certain lessons. Search the web for some fun word problem activities, math vocabulary games and printable worksheets to keep your kids entertained.

There are so many fun ways to inspire a love for math, no matter the age of your child. With these tips, they will love math for years to come!