Mental maths is used in your life every day, whether you are in school, college, or in the office. We do mental maths on a daily basis while we are in grocery stores or in the gym. Even outside of our profession, we use it on a daily basis. In this article, we will tell you in detail about mental math and why it is important for kids.
Definition
Mental maths is a group of skills that allow people to do mathematical calculations “in their head”. Additionally, it helps to enhance your mathematical abilities. But first, we will tell you how to teach mental math.
Teaching method
1. Addition
Keeping a number in mind can assist children in understanding mental math. Child arithmetic fluency can be increased by solving simple addition problems. Even children as young as five, six, and seven years old can do this with ease. The best way to introduce this method is to give children any two numbers and tell them to add them. You can begin with small numbers and progress to larger ones when your kids gain better counting skills. By doing this regularly, kids can improve their calculation skills.
2. Subtraction
Similarly, subtraction also helps the kids understand mental math. Doing basic subtraction problems can improve a child’s mental ability. Moreover, it helps the kids understand a higher level of mathematics.
3. Multiplication war games
With the help of multiplication war games, your child can master multiplication facts in less time. There are simple ways to alter the difficult equation, making it easy for kids to solve mental math problems.
4. Read math books
Many maths books are available on the market that help kids understand mental maths. Additionally, it also helps to improve the memory skills of a child. Books like The Grapes of Math and The Secret of Mental Math can enhance the skills of kids.
5. Suggests using a math app and a website.
Encourage your children to use math apps and websites to improve their mental math skills. Such maths apps and websites help kids to build a different range of skills. Some of the popular apps and websites are Prodigy Game, NRICH, and Math is Fun.
Mental maths for kids is useful in school and everyday life. It helps the kids understand the concept better and faster. Using and practising regularly helps the kids improve their number sense. Additionally, it also improves the long-term memory skills of a child. It also keeps the kid’s brain quick and sharp and also improves their self-confidence. Moreover, it also enhances the children’s ability to concentrate and helps to reduce their mistakes.
If kids struggle with mental math, they need more time to build up their skills. Kids develop their math skills at their own pace. By practising daily, they can enhance their skills.
Why learn?
When kids develop mental math, they gain a deeper understanding of mathematics. Additionally, they develop logical and reasoning skills. It is important for kids to learn mental maths as it will help them in the future also.
About abacus math
Children can improve their learning skills with an abacus. By learning with an abacus, kids can improve their skills. Teaching with an abacus can develop your child’s mental skills and abilities. Moreover, it also helps to improve children’s calculation speed. Here, we will discuss how to teach your kids maths with abacus.
Tips for teaching with an abacus
1. Start with the basics
You can start with a basic number first, teach them about 1 to 10, and then work up to 20. Once they have a basic understanding of counting, they can do more complex calculations.
2. Use physical objects
You can use physical objects to represent the number that helps the child visualize what they are doing. Additionally, it advance their knowledge.
3. Start with simple addition and subtraction.
Simple addition and subtraction problems help them to increase their knowledge and mental ability. Additionally, it also improves the calculation speed of kids.
Benefits of the abacus: One of the first benefits is that it will improve a child’s counting skills. Children can use the abacus to practise addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It also helps to improve the hand-eye coordination of kids. Moreover, it also enhances the child’s thinking ability.
Mental math Competitions
Everything is more fun when you make it a competition! Math competitions help to solve many problems for children and also develop a competitive attitude at an early stage. Moreover, it also provides a platform for showing their mathematical skills.
This fun and versatile game is great for early learners. To play, make sure you have a whiteboard and dry-erase markers. You have to simply write a number on the whiteboard. Then set a timer for 30 seconds and tell your child to solve the question. Give your child one point for each correct answer. For each wrong answer, you get a point. After all the rounds, whoever has the most points wins.
Mental Math Twister
If you are looking for how to teach mental math to 2nd graders, the answer is the game of twister. This game is excellent for small age children and also enhances the mental ability of a child.
To play this fun game you need a prepared twister mat. To get the most use, simply write numbers on sticky notes and attach them to each coloured circle on the mat. On the mat, each colour represents the same answer. For example, the blue circle represents the answer “4” and the green circle represents the answer “6”. Likewise, using a smaller piece of the sticky note, mark the answer values in the corresponding colour on the spinner.
To play this game, tell your child to stand on one side of the mat. Spin the spinner to see what and where your child should move. Since this game can be modified in many other ways. You can easily modify it according to your child’s needs.
Conclusion
As we discussed above, mental math can be helpful to your kids in many ways. If you are looking to improve your child’s mental ability, you might consider teaching them mental maths. Additionally, it helps to improve their life skills, such as focus, patience, and discipline. For more different articles, you can check our website UCMAS.