When we first started homeschooling, I wanted to choose a math curriculum that would set my kids up for success with advanced math. When my oldest was entering kindergarten, I had no idea what the future might have in store for her, but I wanted her to be prepared should she need a strong math background. She was ONLY 5! However, I thought I’d surely fail her if I didn’t set a strong math foundation from the beginning. Boy, was I wrong! There are so many more ways to teach math than just picking the one magical math curriculum!
I believe this focus on the importance of math from such an early age really set back my oldest child. In an effort to try to make math “stick”, I think we’ve tried every way to teach math skills. Even though my youngest has never struggled with math, using these tools with her has shown me just how important it is to approach this subject from many different angles. (Pun intended!) Even concepts they’ve mastered can cause them to struggle when the topic is presented in a different manner. I originally thought an advanced math curriculum with manipulatives would be the only thing we’d need. I’m really glad I opened my eyes to everything else that’s available for teaching math in our homeschool!
Math Curriculum
No matter which math curriculum you choose, it will most likely be the foundation blocks that you’ll build with every day. Because the scope and sequence of each program is different, it’s important to not jump around and try different programs every year. Yes, it’s okay to switch if what you’re using just isn’t working, but try not to switch often.
Even though this is our foundation for math, there are so many other ways to teach math into our homeschool. Once I started branching into other areas, I realized that even the “best and most advanced” homeschool math curriculum still leaves gaps in some topics. This can be a foundation, but it’s not where we stop.
Math Games
This is such an amazing time to be a homeschool parent! There are so many wonderful games to add to our toolbox for every topic. There are even some homeschoolers that rely almost entirely on gameschooling as a homeschool style.
When we first started using math games, my oldest, who struggles with math, did not want to participate at all. There was nothing I could do to entice her to play anything that even remotely looked like practicing math skills – until we found Fantasy-opoly. Yep, it’s a Monopoly game based on fantasy characters. She LOVED the Wings of Fire books back then, so this was a big winner. Since then she has opened up to playing other math games.
Even though they don’t seem like games, math puzzle books are game-like to kids! My kids love using these just for fun around the house, but they’re also handy to have handy car rides, plane rides, and waiting rooms. A few of my kids’ favorites are Math Puzzle Pad, 99 Math Puzzles, Number Puzzles and Games, and Math Scribble book.
Online Math Games
I have a love/hate relationship with online math games. Many of them don’t come with much instruction to help kids through skills that are difficult for them. We tried a few that didn’t even show how to solve the problems they got wrong. I LOVE the idea of practicing math through an online game, but the ones we’ve tried have been so frustrating unless my kids practice skills they’re close to mastering. They may enjoy the games, but it hasn’t been a productive use of online time. On the other hand, sometimes easy fun is just what we need. You can check out this HUGE list of online math games and apps from Common Sense Media. I’m looking forward to trying a few new ones!
Real Life Math
I loved math when I was a kid. I saw it as riddles using numbers. However, my oldest does not. She needs to use math in real life for many concepts to truly sink in. This goes beyond using math manipulatives. She thrives when using math to work on her entrepreneurial ideas, in the kitchen, at the grocery store, and in the garden.
Related Post – Raising Kid Entrepreneurs – Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Spirit
Math Drill and Kill
I was really hoping to avoid teaching math facts through “drill and kill”. There are so many more options! I didn’t see any reason to add this to our math toolbox. However, my oldest struggled with memorizing math facts for a long time. Math board games, card games, online games, and apps just didn’t work for her. I finally bought flash cards and found math fact worksheets to print out. It turns out that it was just what she needed! So, we have kept these in our math practice rotation.
Speaking of math facts… I didn’t find this until my oldest had already memorized the multiplication facts, but my youngest is really loving Times Tales. It’s a DVD program that uses stories to help kids memorize the multiplication facts. My oldest is also enjoying it as a review to keep her skills sharp.
Math Tutoring
Even though my oldest started having an easier time with math using the above tools in our math toolbox, I still felt that she had a lot of catching up to do that was beyond what I was able to give her. I looked into different tutoring options, both in real life and online. We decided to try an online tutoring service that combines the convenience of an on-line experience with the help of a real math tutor. Thinkster Math also includes several videos for every concept, which is the instruction that is missing from so many online math games and apps. You can find my detailed review of Thinkster Math right here.
Related Post – Thinkster Math Program Review
Math doesn’t have to be the dreaded subject it’s become for many families. There are many resources available to help kids who do best when using a handful of approaches to learning math. Using all the resources has also shown me that even kids who excel at math can greatly benefit from using multiple approaches. Even the “best” curriculum for a child can still leave gaps that can be filled by other resources.
Could you compare the money bags game to playing regular Monopoly? If you could only get one, which would you choose? Second grader and K4. Thanks!
Money Bags deals with counting coins. The $1 bills are only used when a player collects enough coins to trade for a $1 bill. I think Money Bags is a better money game for younger kids. Your youngest would probably need a lot of help counting and making change in Monopoly, but your oldest might be able to handle it. Hope that helps!