As a classroom teacher, I taught many children that could add, subtract, multiply and divide with ease.  But, the minute you place a word problem in front of them…they FREEZE.  “This isn’t MATH!  This is READING!  I don’t like READING!”  Ahhhhh…when it was time to teach the word problem chapters in the math textbook, I...Read More

Children are active, we all know that.  They like to run, jump, spin, move around, you name it.  Even when children are older, they still want to be actively moving.  This is why in the classroom, some teachers struggle to get students to follow the “traditional classroom” model.  It is unrealistic to expect a kindergartener...Read More

Skip counting is a skill that is sometimes not viewed as a necessary skill.  This skill actually has a lot of value in math – it goes beyond skip counting used for games.  Skip counting is a way for children to recognize patterns and it helps students with the prerequisite skills for multiplication.  Let’s take...Read More

Can you believe Halloween is just right around the corner?  What an exciting time for children and parents alike.  This is a great time to work off of children’s excitement and use this towards learning math.  There are so many opportunities to incorporate Halloween-themed activities at home.  This may help concepts stick better, since the...Read More

Place value… this is a skill that is so crucial for a solid math foundation.  Place value is taught from kindergarten all the way up through 5th grade in the elementary years.  If you take a look at the Common Core standards, the category “Numbers and Operations” are in every grade level. Understanding place value becomes...Read More

Most people think that picture books are for subjects such as reading, science, social studies… you know, the subjects that don’t involve numbers.  There actually are picture books out there for virtually any subject, even math.  Picture books are a great way to make math come alive in a way that is engaging for children....Read More

If a child has math facts memorized early on in elementary school, this adds a tremendous advantage to their learning.  When children are able to add and subtract basic math facts fluently, this will help them with more advanced concepts.  Beyond memorizing, understanding mental strategies will help improve their self-confidence.  Let’s take a look at...Read More

As adults, we understand the importance of drawing a visual to help us understand complex ideas.  The same idea is used by teachers, elementary through high school.  Many teachers/parents continue to use drawings with their students/children to enhance their math instruction.  Our students and children can get excited about math with pictures and visuals.  We...Read More

We all know that most kids are fans of games – as well as many adults!  When our kids go through preschool, we probably hear how they use play-based learning.  This is how kids learn turn-taking, basic math skills, sentence structure, etc.  However, for some reason, once children reach school age, the idea of “learning...Read More

When students are learning new math topics, we often hear the infamous question, “When will I use this again?”  This is a question that all parents and teachers have probably heard from time to time, especially with older students. There are some advanced topics that may be brushed to the side once the textbook closes...Read More