This weekend I downloaded an incredible math book. If you’ve ever heard your teens say, “Why do I have to do math? I will never use this in the real world!” Then listen up. Have you ever heard of Mental Math? Mental Math is using a series of tips and tricks that will allow you to perform various calculations in your head. One of the best features about using Mental Math is the ability to truly understand what math is all about (including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and percentages) and discovering the ability to perform these tasks in your mind.
So many people have developed true mental blocks when it comes to math. I for one have often experienced what I call my “mathematical brain freeze.” This is where I am in a store or in the middle of a calculation, then all of a sudden, my brain just freezes and I lose track of the numbers I was calculating and have to start all over. The mental math helps to unblock those periods, and in my personal opinion, I think that mental math is just as valuable for adults as it is for our homeschooling children.
Once in a while, it seems that some children seem to develop their “own methods” for performing math. However, have you ever noticed how this is discouraged in the public school setting? In public school, teachers are bent on making sure that each child uses only one method for deriving an answer to a problem, and often the student is told that they are “wrong” if they have developed a different means for finding the answer. Well, as homeschooling parents we don’t have to worry about that. We can teach all methods and encourage our children to think about math and the processes involved.
Having fun with math and learning mental math techniques that will equip you for a life long journey is more than a “right” or “wrong” way to perform math tasks. It is a way of making math real, meaningful, and useful. Because the next time our kids ask us, “When am I ever going to use that?” We should be able to explain to them, that in the real world, they will need to use math regularly, and those who can determine math facts in their heads, will have an advantage over those who can’t.
To see more about mental math, you can visit the site here: