How to Help Kids Improve Their Mental Math Skills

Practicing mental math skills can really boost students' confidence and their ability to solve problems (not just in the classroom but in everyday life). When kids can do math in their heads, it helps them tackle tricky questions without relying on paper or a calculator. Here are a few fun and simple ways I've helped my students improve their mental math skills.

1. Practice

I can’t stress this one enough... The more my students practice mental math, the quicker they get. I’ve found that even just a few minutes a day can make a big difference. I try to build math practice into our daily routine (like a quick set of problems during morning work or a math challenge at the end of the day). Getting kids to practice regularly really pays off tremendously 😊

2. Start slow and easy

Before diving into more complex problems, it’s important for kids to have a strong grasp of the basics. When my students can quickly add and subtract single and double-digit numbers in their heads, they feel more confident tackling bigger problems. Once they’ve mastered the basics, I can introduce multiplication and division, and things start to click!

3. Simplify bigger problems

When students come across bigger math problems, I always tell them to break it down into smaller parts. For example, if they're multiplying two-digit numbers, they can multiply the tens first and then the ones. This strategy makes the problem easier to handle. I had one transfer student who was really struggling multiplying two digit numbers (like 24 x 15) when he first came to my class, but once we broke it down, he got it! Not sure why no-one worked on this with him before..

4. Use mental math strategies

There are so many helpful tricks for doing math in your head, and I love sharing them with my students! One of my favorites is using number bonds. For example, if you're adding 8 + 7, think of it as 8 + 2 + 5, which makes it easier to figure out. Doubling and halving are other strategies I use with my class. These tricks make math so much easier (for adults as well).

5. Try to visualize the problem

Sometimes, seeing is believing 😃 I try to help my students picture math problems in their heads. At first, I’ll show them a problem on paper, and we’ll work through it together... Then, I’ll challenge them to imagine solving the same problem in their heads, just by visualizing the numbers. With a little practice, it gets easier, and they start to see the connections between numbers.

6. Use real-life situations

One of my favorite things to do is show my students how we use math on a daily basis. We talk about things like figuring out how much money they have left from their allowance, or how much to tip when eating out (though a bit more advanced, more so for 4th and 5th grade students). The more they see how mental math works outside the classroom, the more excited they get to use their skills.

7. Let them take their time

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to be fast with mental math, but I always remind my students that accuracy is more important than speed.. I’d rather they take their time and get the correct answer than rush through and make mistakes. As they practice, the speed will come naturally. Which brings me back to the first point (practice), the more we do it, the faster we get.

Hopefully these come in handy for you guys as well!