Brushing Up on Your Math Skills

I have to admit it - math is not my strong point. However, sometimes there is no getting around the fact that math is a part of every day life. Children need help with their schoolwork, you decide you need a household budget, or you need to take a test to advance in your career. Suddenly it's time to brush up on those math skills. I've found  resources that can help.

All the Math You'll Ever Need by Stephen Slavin

This book is great for reviewing basic math concepts you might need to help children with schoolwork. It's also helpful for practical math like figuring out tips, discounts and mortgage interest. The book is easy to understand. More importantly, as one reviewer said, "While most self-teaching guides are boring, this book was actually entertaining."

The Math Book by Janet Dangerfield

I'm a sucker for books with lots of visual aids. This book is chock full of them.  It traces the development of math through history. Put this one on your coffee table and you might learn a few things about math every time you pick it up.

The Smart Guide to Practical Math by James D. Stein

I love the practical approach this author takes. Math is really about solving real life problems. The book focuses on real life examples and supplies the formulas needed to figure out things like how much food do I need to buy to feed so many people? How much money should I invest to retire at such an age? Choose the example that fits your need and plug in your numbers to get practical solutions. This is also available as an ebook.

Basic Occupational Mathematics by David Newton

This workbook shows students how to apply core math concepts to workplace settings. It uses a lot of word problems and shows how to work through common scenarios step by step.

Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson

Once I became an adult I realized how woefully ignorant I was on such topics as managing debt, buying insurance, investing and even making a budget. This book gives you a crash course in practical financial topics and is written in easy to understand terms. Learning to manage money well is such a life changer and this book is a great, easy way to learn the basics.

Learn Personal Finance

This DVD by The Standard Deviants uses entertaining skits to illustrate the basics of money management. I recommend this for a middle schooler or high schooler just getting started in learning the basics about budgeting and managing cashflow.

Help Your Kids with Math by Barry Lewis

This ebook from DK covers just about everything a parent of a K-12 grader needs to know to help them with math. It includes colorful charts and step by step explanations.

Happy learning!