In a constantly-evolving world where technology is embraced in favour of speed, mental math seems like a lost art due in part to the over-use of technology (think calculators, apps) that has led children to think that they are slower than the machines.
Conversely, students can be fast and mental math is a beneficial skill that can be helpful in real life - imagine calculating the cost of groceries or determining the best deal on a sale item in an instant without reaching for a calculator.
Is that possible? Definitely. Like all other things, this just requires practice and training.
How Does Mental Math Help Children in Everyday Situations?
Mental math is an essential skill that can make a big difference in everyday life, and it lets children quickly and accurately perform mental calculations, saving them time and hassle.
Here is a list of some examples of how mental math is beneficial!
Grocery Shopping During grocery shopping with their parents, children can use mental math by estimating the total cost of the items in their cart and calculating the change that should be received after paying.
Money Management Children can use mental math to keep track of their allowance or pocket money. They can calculate how much they have saved or need to save to reach a specific goal or how much they can spend on a particular item they desire.
Time Management Children can use mental math to calculate how long they will need to complete their homework or figure out when they need to wake up to get ready for school.
Cooking and Baking Children can mentally add, subtract, multiply or divide if they need to cook or add ingredients to the food they are preparing. Measuring ingredients for a recipe is an excellent opportunity to practice mental math.
Making math a part of their daily routine can help children develop essential math skills while encouraging them to enjoy the process. Mental math abilities can improve children’s problem-solving skills, enhance critical thinking abilities and increase overall numerical fluency and sensitivity.
How we help!
Mentalmatics focuses on improving mental math skills. While an abacus gives children an excellent visual on math learning, Mentalmatics also teaches students mental math which in turn helps with gaining valuable skills such as concentration, focus, and memory.
Also, Mentalmatics uses games, songs and activities to make learning fun and engaging, which can help your children stay motivated and interested in math.
To find out more, make a reservation to talk to us from the link below!