Welcome!
Our numeracy newsletter articles aim to bridge the gap between the classroom and your home, helping you to support your child’s numeracy understanding in a fun and engaging way. Numeracy goes beyond just addition and subtraction. It’s about applying maths concepts to solve problems and make sense of the world around us. Through these newsletter articles, we hope to provide families with some helpful hints and tips to increase their numeracy skills.
In our previous article in the 24th May college newsletter, we focussed on numeracy activities that could be done over the long weekend. With the end of the financial year coming up, we are looking at numeracy ideas with the sales and taxes with this article.
End of Financial Year Edition
Tax
The end-of-financial year, most people will be getting ready to lodge their tax returns. Now is a great opportunity to help your child gain an understanding of the tax system in Australia and the tax they pay on items with the goods and services tax (GST). If they have a part-time job, they may also be paying taxes out of their wages.
The government uses this money to provide important services and infrastructure, like roads, hospitals, and even schools – put simply, tax improves our quality of life and it is important for children to be aware of how it works, and where the taxes go.
Real-World Applications:
- Budgeting for Taxes: Set aside a portion of your income (even a small amount) throughout the year to “practice” paying taxes. This helps families understand the concept of paying taxes from their earnings.
- Tax Time Savings: Research tax deductions (including donations to charities) and credits that might be applicable to your family. Discuss how these deductions can reduce the amount of tax you owe. Involve your child in the research and calculations (age-appropriately).
- Next time you order a pizza, discuss percentages as you divide it up or the GST you have paid on it. Calculate the percentage of the pizza each person gets. You can extend this to other situations like calculating tips at restaurants.
Here is a link to a great online tool with information and activities for your students: https://taxsuperandyou.gov.au/parent-toolkit/explore-tools
Sales
The end-of-financial year sales are here, and it’s a great opportunity to combine saving money with some fun numeracy practice for the whole family. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Mission to find the best bargains:
- Unit Pricing: Compare unit prices (price per weight or volume) of similar items across different brands or shops. This helps you find the best deal, regardless of package size. You will find these at many supermarkets on the shelf price
- Percentage Discounts: Work together to calculate the actual savings based on the discount percentages. Let your child practice multiplying the original price by the discount as a percentage (written as a decimal) to find the amount saved.
Shopping List Strategy:
- Budgeting: Set a budget for your shopping trip together. Discuss needs vs. wants and prioritise your purchases.
- Price Matching: Explore stores that offer price matching. Research the lowest price you can find and use it to negotiate at other stores with a price-matching policy. This involves subtraction to see how much money you can save.
Making it Fun:
- Turn it into a Game: Create a shopping list scavenger hunt. Find specific items within their budget and have them calculate the total cost as they go. The one who comes closest to the budget wins.
- Reward System: Set a reward for staying within budget or finding the best deals.
Remember:
These activities don’t have to be complex.
- Start with age-appropriate challenges and gradually increase the difficulty as your child’s skills develop.
- Most importantly, keep it fun and engaging.
By incorporating numeracy into your shopping trip, you’ll be helping your child develop valuable math skills while saving some money for the family!
Mrs Tijtje Keatley and Ms Cassie Morris
Learning Specialists