Is it enough to be able to do math, or do children need to be able to think about math?
Most probably think doing math is enough… So, let me ask a different question.
Is it enough to be able to read, or do children need to be able to think about what they read?
The answer is obvious. Of course we want children to think about what they read! To question it, turn ideas over in their minds, make connections, and come to their own conclusions.
But why don’t we think about math the same way?
Math is often treated as something to be done. You either know how to solve the problem or you don’t. You get the answer right or you get it wrong. And once you get it right, you move on.
Even reading can fall into this trap. A child can become very good at answering reading comprehension questions without necessarily developing a rich relationship with the ideas in a book.
Is being able to pick out the main character really the point of learning to read?
What is the point of an education if not to teach children to think?
When I press this, most people balk. Just learning math takes up so much time! There are facts to memorize, procedures to practice, and skills to master. By the time children can reliably solve the problems in front of them, there isn’t time to do anything else.
But what happens when learning the basics takes less time?
Programs like Khan Academy and Math Academy can help children master foundational math more efficiently. Math Academy’s first cohort, for example, included eighth graders taking AP Calculus BC exams.
And that gives us a choice.
We can use the extra time to race ahead. More lessons, more courses, more advanced material.
Or we can use it to explore the mathematics we’ve already learned.
You see, I’m not interested in my children simply learning to read. I’m interested in what they can do with the gift of reading. The worlds they can enter. The ideas they can wrestle with. The stories they can tell.
I feel the same way about math.
I don’t just want my children to know how to calculate an answer. I want them to see what they can discover with mathematics.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. That sounds great, Claire, but it’s completely unrealistic. I wouldn’t even know where to start!
You absolutely can do this. And it’s much easier than you think. (I’ll give you a great resource in a minute.)
Let me show you how small this can start.
This summer, I ran a game club. We exclusively played math games. The goal wasn’t to learn to do math better (though the games certainly helped with that). The goal was to think and play with math.
One game we played was called Target Number. You roll dice to get a target number. Let’s say it’s 12. The goal is simple: What numbers can you add, subtract, multiply, or divide to get 12?
Kids typically start with the obvious:
6 + 6; 10 + 2; 3 × 4; 2 × 6
But then there’s a trick. You only get points for unique solutions that the other kids aren’t using. All of a sudden, the answers get more interesting.
15 − 3; 100 − 88; −2 + 14; 24 ÷ 2
And then some kids get really creative.
(2 × 5) + 2
Now, we’re talking!
The children aren’t just trying to get the right answer anymore. They’re looking for possibilities the other kids haven’t found.
This teaches kids to think about math differently.
Kids often hate math because they think there is only one right path. There are infinite ways to make 12. The subject stops being a verdict and becomes a search.
And it only took 30 minutes.
What does an ideal math education look like?
Both of my children use Math Academy, which reduces the amount of time they spend working through their math lessons. My youngest is already halfway through her math year, and it’s mid-September. I could use the extra time to do something entirely different. And sometimes, we do! But more often than not, we use Fridays to explore math games.
Of course, my children still need to learn the basics. But I don’t want that to be the end of their mathematical education.
I want it to be the beginning.
I want my children to know how to do mathematics, but also to have the time and freedom to explore it. To play with ideas, find patterns, make connections, and discover things for themselves.
That’s what I want more of in their education: not just more math, but more opportunities to think mathematically.
If you want that too and don’t know where to start, you don’t have to invent it from scratch.
I’ve pulled together several options for you — some of them completely free!
These are the resources I’ve actually used for adding more playful, creative mathematical thinking to my children’s education. I’ll start with the exact curriculum I used for my game club this summer. It was incredible.
From there, I’ll give you options for busier parents, and even for parents who want their children to play with math while still building the foundational skills or filling in gaps from prior years.
None of these are affiliate links. I just love these programs.