Math tricks and tip sheets for kids

Math tricks and tip sheets for kids

Print the sheet for the fridge or the homework folder, and look at one idea a day. Kids learn a strategy best when they say it out loud while they use it: "8 and 2 make 10, and 3 more is 13."

Questions parents and teachers ask

What are number bonds to 10?

Number bonds to 10 are the pairs of whole numbers that add up to 10: 0 + 10, 1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7, 4 + 6 and 5 + 5, plus the same pairs turned around. Kids usually learn them in kindergarten and 1st grade.

Which addition strategies do kids learn first?

Counting on from the bigger number comes first, around age 5 or 6. Then doubles, bonds to 10 and making a ten in 1st grade, splitting tens and ones in 2nd grade, and column addition with carrying in 2nd and 3rd grade.

What is the easiest way to teach subtraction?

Start with real things: 7 crackers, eat 3, how many are left? Then count back on a number line. Once kids know their addition facts, "think addition" is the fastest strategy for facts to 20.

How do you explain multiplication to a child?

Start with equal groups of real things: 3 plates with 4 grapes each. Say "3 groups of 4" before you say "3 times 4". Then lay the grapes out in rows to make an array, and show that skip counting 4, 8, 12 gives the same answer.

What is the trick for the 9 times table?

Hold up 10 fingers and fold down the finger for the number you multiply by. For 9 × 4, fold the 4th finger: the 3 fingers on its left are the tens and the 6 on its right are the ones, so 9 × 4 = 36. Also, the two digits of a 9s answer always add up to 9.

How do you explain division to a child?

Share real things: 12 cookies on 3 plates, one at a time. Then group them: how many bags of 4 can we fill? Both are division. Once times tables are known, "think multiplication" is the fastest way.