Math, or mathematics, is all about learning numbers and how they are related to each other. Math is also about how it is related to the real world. Math is an area of knowledge that includes topics that are all about numbers, formulas, and those that are related to structures, shapes, and the spaces in which they contain quantities and their changes. Math is one of the ancient sciences that has gotten better in time. Today, we will take a dig at mental math. The father of mental math is Archimedes.
Mental calculation consists of arithmetical calculations that are performed only using the human brain, with no other help from any devices such as calculators. People use mental calculations when computing tools are not available since it is faster than other means of calculations, and even in a competitive environment.
People tend to often ask if mental math is difficult. Well, practicing mental arithmetic might seem like some hard work to do, and to some people who find math not so pleasing, it might even seem to be a scary prospect altogether. But as with all things, the more you do, the easier it gets with time.
So, why is mental math used? Mental math actually helps to keep the brain quick and sharp. The brain, like any other muscle, gets better, stronger, and more efficient with use. Mental math also greatly improves a person’s sense of numbers; it gives you the ability to understand the relationship between quantities, and it is true that there are many great strategies to improve mental math abilities.
So, now that we know what mental math is, let us understand how to learn and how to improve at mental math?
How to improve at mental math?
Mentioned below are a few tips to get better at it:
- Use flashcards.
- Number bond practice game.
- Developing your child’s logical thinking.
- Use Doodle Math.
- Splitting into hundreds, tens, and units.
- Rounding numbers for easier calculations.
- Flipping around the question.
Abacus is more of a mental training process. Most kids do not need the tool such as an abacus after a few months of practice, as they can easily imagine the abacus tool in their minds and calculate math problems mentally. Vedic math is not purely mental math, but it is more of a conditional math.
Now that we know so much about mental math, one may ask what is the right age to teach kids mental math. Children aged 4 to 6 years old, it is an appropriate age to get kids started on some curated activities that are designed to help young learners solve math problems mentally with speed and accuracy.
One can use what works best for them, but here are some tips on how to do mental math with kids:
- Introducing mnemonic devices.
- Read math books.
- Provide relevant word problems.
- Play estimation games in class.
- Play fact fluency games in class.
- Encourage the use of math apps and websites.
- Round up when multiplying by 9.
- Double and halve.
Mentioned below are some ideas on how one can help kids with mental math:-
- Flashcards. Do not underestimate the need for repetition!
- Number bond targets. Try this fun game to add, subtract, or multiply to reach a target.
- More flashcards! It is never less to have more options available.
- Puzzles. It is the best way to teach kids math and much more.
- Logical thinking. It helps kids to think outside the box and come up with logic to problems in even real-life situations.
- Mental arithmetic games and apps. It is the best way to put into practice what is learnt.
So, many may ask what are the basics of mental math? Mental math is a group of skills that allow people to do math “in their head” without using a pen, pencil, and a piece of paper or, for that matter, even without a calculator. One of One of these skills is to remember math facts, and other skills include rounding numbers and estimating calculations.
Also Read: Outdoor Mental Maths for Children
Let us look at how mental math looks like grade or class-wise for kids.
Mental math for Class 1:
Mental math for Class 1 refers to fact learning, mental computation, and computational estimation. This includes exploring and counting numbers, recognizing shapes, and other basic concepts. This helps to build a strong math foundation and intuition by simply visualizing math.
Mental math for Class 2:
With mental math for Class 2 students can learn to perform calculations easily and effectively using nothing but their brain. The one condition is that it needs a lot of practice. There are several ways to feature mental math practice into everyday activities.
Mental math for Class 3:
In mental math for Class 3, multiplication and division are introduced. A majority of the learning years is spent focusing on the understanding of these two operations and the relationship between them. By the end of third grade, children will have all their multiplication and division facts (up to 100) memorized.
Mental math for Class 4:
Mental math for Class 4 is the beginning of learning math as a group skill that allows them to do math “in their head” without using a pencil and paper or even a calculator. One of these skills is remembering math facts, for example, 8 × 5 = 40. Additional skills also include rounding numbers and estimating calculations.
Mental math for Class 5:
The worksheet for mental math for Class 5 typically includes some common topics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and more. This part helps children with the opportunity to practice and improve their mental math skills in a variety of real-life situations.
Mental math for Class 6:
Mental math for Class 6 refers to learning facts, computational estimation, and mental computation.
Mental math for Class 7:
It is no surprise that mental math for Class 7 is difficult for students because of the conceptual leap in math education. But with time, it all seems to get seamless and easy.
Mathematicians today would probably agree that the Riemann Hypothesis is the most significant open problem in all of math ever known. It is one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems, with a $1 million reward for its solution. Math comes with a prize that we at Euroschool want our students to value and achieve for the rest of their lives. We encourage students and parents to make use of mental math boosters which contain an exciting set of activities, games, and challenges to strengthen the foundational math concepts for kids.
