Category Archives: Math Helps
Pi Day
Happy Pi Day! It’s 3.14, so today, you’ve got to teach your kids about Pi! For every circle, no matter it’s size, the distance around the edge (the circumference) is about 3.14 times longer than the distance across the circle … Continue reading
Rubik’s Cube As A Math "Toy"
I’m a big fan of math manipulatives, tools kids can use to really visualize the abstract mathematical concepts they’re learning. It used to be that math “toys”, as we call them at our house, were just for kids who struggled … Continue reading
Easy Math Dice Games
A super simple way to make math facts practice fun is to do it with dice. The kids are really just doing math problem after math problem, but since there’s a winner and a loser it’s fun. Adding game: You … Continue reading
Featured: The Times Tables in a Game
The times tables are one of those things every kid should just memorize. It’s ridiculous for a fourteen year old to have to type 5 x 5 into his calculator when he’s doing algebra. Plus it’s a waste of time. … Continue reading
Beach Ball Math
We’re working hard on learning multiplication tables right now. Really hard. Because it’s just that–really hard to learn all those numbers and remember all those answers. Sometimes we all get bogged down in the boring repetition and the same-ol-flashcard drills. … Continue reading
Addition Games
Games make everything more fun. Alternate practicing math facts with games and worksheets or flashcards. One game I really like for addition and subtraction practice for beginners is Sum Swamp. You can also print out this simple Addition Game for … Continue reading
Math: Decoding Story Problems
Story Problems, dreaded and feared by adults and kids alike . . . There are some basic rules to help kids decode the story problems. First help them to understand that in a story problem, your goal is to translate … Continue reading
Pattern Blocks and Other Math Toys
Kids need manipulatives to help them conceptualize and understand the abstract concepts happening in their math homework. Most kids, because of the developmental stage of their minds, cannot grasp abstract concepts until they are in around 5th or 6th grade. … Continue reading
Math: Skip Counting
Teaching kids skip counting can be boring . . . or not, depending on how you approach it. Some ideas to make it more fun: Use a sing-song voice or make up a “song”. There’s always “2, 4, 6 , … Continue reading
Simple Symmetry
I love to peruse education catalogs and check out all the latest and greatest resources that are out there, but sometimes I really wonder if people really buy all that stuff? I was perusing the other day and came across … Continue reading
Motivational Mathmatical Magic
To get my reluctant kids to work their sums in the early grades of Math, I have found that nothing compares to bribery. And bribery involving candy is king. You don’t want to do this every day because of the … Continue reading
