Most of us were never taught how to teach. And we certainly weren't taught what to do when NOTHING is working. My friend Sonya Post is offering a new course that will help you rethink how learning actually works, how you can stop second-guessing yourself and start seeing real growth. I've taken the earlier iterations of her course, and I'd recommend it to all parents.

Writing to Learn Math: What did the author mean? Put the thought in your own words. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

Mental math is doing calculations with our minds, and perhaps with the aid of scratch paper or a whiteboard to jot down notes along the way. But we cannot simply transfer the standard pencil-and-paper calculations to a mental chalkboard. That’s far too complicated. We still want to follow our basic strategies of using friendly numbers, estimating, and adjusting the answer. So how can we help children do math in their heads as the numbers get bigger and the problems more challenging?

This logic game will get your elementary students thinking about numbers and strategy. Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. The Nickel Game Math Concepts: counting larger numbers, less-than and greater-than, logical thinking. Players: two players or two teams.

Writing to Learn Math: When students create their own math, they forge a personal connection to mathematical concepts and relationships. And it’s fun! Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

Mental math is doing calculations with our minds, though we can use scratch paper or whiteboards to make notes as we work. Doing mental math, children use the basic principles of arithmetic to simplify problems so they can think about number relationships, mastering the basic structures of how numbers work, the same structures that underlie algebraic reasoning. As always, we rely on two key mental-math strategies.

This game promotes flexibility with mental addition and subtraction. Skills practice for elementary students, and fun enough for adults to enjoy playing along! Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. Tiguous Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multistep calculation.

Writing to Learn Math: People learn math by playing with ideas. A math journal can be like a science lab book. Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

Here are a couple of fun foldable projects to try with your kids. Both of the projects below start with squares of paper. Do you know how to convert any piece of paper into a square? Here are two methods. Can you tell why they work, how each method creates a true square? What if you didn’t have a rectangular page to start with — could you still create a square?

This game challenges students to think strategically about ordering fractions. Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. Fraction Train with Cards Math Concepts: proper and improper fractions, comparing and ordering fractions. Players: any number. Equipment:

Writing to Learn Math: Problem-solving cares less about whether an answer is right and more about whether a solution makes sense. Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

Children learn best through interaction with others, and mental math prompts can lead to fascinating conversations, listening as our kids apply their creativity to the many ways numbers interact. With mental math, students master the true 3R’s of math: to Recognize and Reason about the Relationships between numbers. And these 3Rs are the foundation of algebra, which explains why flexibility and confidence in mental math is one of the best predictors of success in high school math and beyond.

This game pushes students to think creatively with integers (positive and negative whole numbers). Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. Honeycomb Math Concepts: integer addition, integer multiplication. Players: two players or two teams. Equipment:

Writing to Learn Math: What did the author mean? Put the thought in your own words. Do you agree or disagree? Why? Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

The question hits my inbox whenever parents start planning for a new school year: "Hello! I am on the board of a homeschool co-op. We have had requests for a math club and wondered if you have any tips for starting one. We service children from K-10th and would need to try to meet the needs of as many ages as possible." …

Would you like some great ideas for reading and playing math with your kids? Sue VanHattum put together a delightful collection of mathematical fiction in honor of Math Storytelling Day: Math Storytelling (Playful Math Carnival 182) What are you waiting for? Come join the fun! Click Here to Read the Carnival Blog Help Us Keep the Carnival Going The Playful Math Blog Carnival wants you!

This game builds number sense with fractions on an invisible number line. Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. Fraction Catch Math Concepts: proper and improper fractions, comparing fractions, equivalent fractions, number line, numerical order.

Writing to Learn Math: Research prompts help students view math as a human endeavor. Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.

By doing mental math, we help our children use the basic principles of arithmetic to simplify problems so they can think about number relationships, mastering the basic structures of how numbers work. And the more our children practice these structures in mental math, the better prepared they will be to recognize the same principles in algebra. The basic idea of subtraction is…

This is a fun strategy game for students of all ages. Who doesn't like chocolate? Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. Chomp Math Concepts: logic and strategic thinking. Players: two players. Equipment: pencil and paper.

Writing to Learn Math: When students learn to visualize shapes, designs, and patterns, it makes them better at math. Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

Over the years, in my public writing and in personal correspondence, I've tried to help younger parents by sharing the things I wish someone would have told me forty years ago. Oftentimes, I will answer a question but never hear back what the person ended up doing or how their family got along. It leaves me feeling as though I could have done more to encourage them along the way.

This game builds familiarity with the patterns in 2-digit numbers as players search for the secret squares on a hundred chart. Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play. Hide-and-Seek Zoo Math Concepts: hundred chart, strategy.

Writing to Learn Math: Math journal explanations avoid the formality that turns so many students away from geometry proofs. Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own? Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: …

No peeking! This post is for those of you who have given the trisection proof a good workout on your own. If you have a question about the proof or a solution you would like to share, please post a comment here. But if you haven't yet worked at the puzzle, go back and give it a try. When someone just tells you the answer, you miss out on the fun.