At a restaurant, ask them to mentally calculate the 10% or 20% tip before you look at the receipt.
Give the kid the "trick" and give yourself a calculator. Race to see who gets the answer first. (Let them win!) Mental Math Kids Can't Resist!: Tips, Short-cut...
Take the two-digit number, split the digits, and put their sum in the middle. Example: 35 x 11 Split the 3 and the 5: 3 _ 5 Sandwich the 8 in the middle: 385 At a restaurant, ask them to mentally calculate
Standard school math teaches kids to work right-to-left (ones, then tens). Mental math is much faster . The Trick: Add the "big" values first. Example: 64 + 28 Add the tens: Add the ones: (Let them win
Use physical items like LEGO bricks or Cheerios to show why doubling and halving works.
This is a lifesaver for multiplication tables that haven't been memorized yet. It simplifies complex problems into manageable ones.
Here’s a deep dive into the mental math strategies that are actually fun for kids to learn. 1. The "Friendly Numbers" Strategy (Compensation)