For many parents, teaching your child math is an enormously painful affair. The average child takes no pleasure in calculating sum after sum, formula after formula and we can be especially sure that he loses no sleep wondering about what ‘x’ could possibly be.

The truth of the matter though is that math is an essential and fundamental element of school and is a subject that plays a large part in the decisions of university admissions officers. Your child may want to be the next Britney Spears or Akon now, but when they grow up, math will help them gain access to a course or degree which will provide the foundation for a career that will feed and clothe them for the rest of their lives.

Teaching your child how to multiply by rote or developing their reasoning skills is all well and good but when they start exploring deeper mathematical formulae some parents may find it increasingly difficult to help their children conquer subject matter which may be forgotten or even completely alien to us.

So, what can we possibly do to nudge our children towards mathematical brilliance, or at least get them to exhibit a bit more interest in a subject which will help build their future? We’ve tried the educational help-books, the ‘fun’ activities, the audio lessons and the awful, awful dvd’s. none of which have resulted in a boost to our children’s mathematical abilities. Then, finally I came across a medium which speaks to children’s interests in a medium that they are not only familiar with, but also enjoy! The answer was, of course, video games!

These video games opened up an entirely new way to teach my children math and also get them to relax around a subject that rarely gives a break to anyone! Not only can I rest assured that my children are getting an education but also are keen on it!