The difficulty in math is not that some people get it and some people don't (there's no such thing as a math person). It's not that there's so much to memorize (you can't understand math by memorizing). It's that math is relentlessly sequential. New math concepts and skills build on previously learned concepts. And while you may be able to get by ok for a while with gaps in your math learning, eventually you're going to hit a wall. And it will be Keep Reading...
How to REALLY Help Kids Solve Math Word Problems
Recently, I was working on multiplying and dividing by 2 with one of my kids. A constant refrain was, "What does multiply mean?" or "But remember, what does that division sign represent?" As they started to grapple with these concepts and play with manipulatives and pictures and equations, I tried to make sure we always came back to the why. But why are you counting by 2's to get the answer? And why are we splitting our set into groups of 2? Keep Reading...
How to Teach Fractions {With Free Game Ideas}
One of the biggest fears homeschooling parents have when it comes to teaching their children math is...fractions. Fear not. Follow these steps for how to teach fractions and you will be on your way to a tear free fraction journey. Warning! No matter how old your student is, don't skip one of the steps. *Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which help support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.* This is a Keep Reading...
Division Debate: Do Kids Need Long Division?
Teaching long division. Can you imagine anything more painful in homeschooling? The child staring at the problem with tears in their eyes thinking, "I will never understand this." And there's the mom who has explained for what feels like the 100th time thinking, "Why can't they get this?!" What if I told you that you don't have to teach long division? In fact, I don't teach it to my children and I never worried about it in the classroom. If Keep Reading...
Deepening Fraction Sense with Fractions Area Models
As we continue our series on developing fraction sense, hopefully by now you are feeling a little more confident and equipped. Learning about fractions doesn't have to be scary, and it doesn't have to mean hours of pencil and paper computations. Instead, the focus should be on deep understanding, using concrete, visual models. Today, I want to share a powerful visual, which students can use to compare, add, subtract, multiply and divide Keep Reading...
Developing Fraction Sense Using Benchmark Fractions
In the early years, a child's math education should focus on developing number sense. In other words, helping them to understand numbers in lots of different ways, and to be fluid in how they use numbers and work with numbers to solve problems. As kids progress through school, they begin to be introduced to fractions. And since fractions are in fact numbers, we want kids to be as fluent and comfortable using and manipulating fractions as they are Keep Reading...
7 Simple Ways to Engage Reluctant Math Students
When it comes to math, motivating students to remain receptive and enthusiastically involved is a challenge for every teacher across the globe. Here are 7 strategies that teachers can use to engage reluctant math students and help them to love math. 7 Ideas to Engage Reluctant Math Students: Make it Fun This may seem obvious, but sometimes we get so busy trying to teach the material, we forget to keep it fun. There are several Keep Reading...
Plan Engaging STEM Lessons: STEM Lesson Plan Template {FREE}
Have you seen a STEM lesson, maybe on Pinterest, and thought, "Wow, the person who wrote that lesson is so creative. I wish I could be that creative." Your wish is about to come true. The problem with writing a great STEM lesson is that it's so big, has so many parts, and can feel overwhelming. But once you break it down into smaller parts, your brain can focus on creativity. So let's break this STEM thing down into it's parts. Then use the Keep Reading...
The Great Debate: The Role of Calculators in Math Education
The great debate over calculator use in the math classroom, particularly in elementary school, will probably never be resolved. There are those who say there is no place for calculators in the classroom, whether elementary or high school. Then there are those who say that “mental math” is no longer necessary. That we live in an age of technology and memorizing multiplication facts or working math out with pencil and paper has become obsolete and Keep Reading...
The Beginner’s Guide to Hands-On Math
Do you ever feel like teaching math is a struggle or just plain boring? Are you sick of worksheets and textbooks? Teaching and exploring math in a hands-on way will not only be more engaging for your kids, but it will deepen and strengthen their conceptual understanding. But if the thought of making math "hands-on" is intimidating to you, never fear! This beginner's guide to hands-on math will walk you through it, expand your understanding of Keep Reading...
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