The challenge

Next time you have a family or group meal at a restaurant, ask for the bill and get your teenager to allocate a fair split for everyone at the table.

The conversation

Questions you can ask your teen to support their understanding:

• "How much was each person's share of the bill?"
  
• "Were you surprised at any of the costs?"
  
• "Is your split fair? Did everyone have a main? Did everyone order a drink?"
• "Do you think this would cost the same amount with ingredients bought from the supermarket?"

The conversation

Using basic mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, is a skill that has many practical applications. It’ll serve your teen in their first job, whether that’s in hospitality, retail or a trade, all the way until they’re a business owner or in charge of running a household.

Knowing how to share resources like money, materials, food and time is a professional skill used daily by chefs, scientists, managers, foremen, artists and nurses.