Math story time at home bolsters achievement in school

Adding math talk to story time at home is a winning equation for children's math achievement, according to new research from the University of Chicago. The study from psychologists Sian Beilock and Susan Levine shows a marked increase in math achievement among children whose families used Bedtime Math , an iPad app that delivers engaging math story problems for parents and children to solve together. Even children who used the app with their parents as little as once a week saw gains in math achievement by the end of the school year. The app's effect was especially strong for children whose parents tend to be anxious or uncomfortable with math. The findings appear in the Oct. 9 edition of Science . UChicago PhD students Talia Berkowitz and Marjorie Schaeffer are the lead authors of the study, along with senior authors Beilock and Levine.