Five resources to build positive maths mindsets in Years 5 and 6

Keep your child’s curiosity in maths flourishing with these resources, videos and tips. Packed with profound lessons and real-life stories about resilience, problem solving and perspective, these resources can help you continue to support your child build a positive mindset towards learning.

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What Do You Do With A Problem?

Written by Kobi Yamada.

This picture book is about a persistent problem that follows a child around. The longer the problem is avoided, the larger it seems to get – isn’t that always the way? When the child finally musters up the courage to face the problem, it turns out to be something quite different all together. This profound story might just help your child uncover how brave they can be and how important it is to embrace challenges, no matter what format they come in.

Salt In His Shoes: Michael Jordan In Pursuit Of A Dream

Written by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

When Michael Jordan was a child, he almost gave up on being a basketball player because he feared he would never be tall enough. Then his parents taught him about patience, determination and hard work. This inspirational illustrated story is about how a family can work together to help a child achieve their dreams - true for almost all things when you want to feel more confident.

Confidence-Boosting Maths Messages

Developed By Youcubed at Stanford. Speaker: Professor Jo Boaler.

In this insightful video, Professor Jo Boaler from Stanford University and her students explain why everyone can master maths. They use the latest brain research as well as examples and stories of mathematicians in history who’ve encountered setbacks and spent years working on problems. This video can help us realise that maths isn’t about speed – it’s about growing our brains, creativity, and finding and solving problems.

Mistakes That Worked: The World’s Familiar Inventions And How They Came To Be

Written by Charlotte Jones and illustrated by John O'Brien.

Did you know many of the things we use in daily life were invented completely by accident? How’s that for an upside to making a mistake? This book shares 40 tales of the unlikely origins of foods, clothing, toys and devices we use in our daily lives. Perfect for any upcoming entrepreneurs in your family!

The Boy Who Dreamed Of Infinity: A Tale Of The Genius Ramanujan

Written by Amy Alznauer and illustrated by Daniel Miyares.

This is a real-life story of Ramanujan, who managed to change modern mathematics and science forever. The beautifully illustrated book will make your child think twice about numbers, and inspire them to dare to dream as big as Ramanujan did.