November 2025 – Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math

Mental Math: Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on November 26, 2025November 11, 2025 by Denise Gaskins

Over the course of this series, we’ve seen how mental math relies on a child’s own creative ways of thinking. In mental math, children develop understanding of how numbers interact with each other in many ways.

In this way, they learn the true 3R’s of math: to Recognize and Reason about the Relationships between numbers.

And the principles that underlie mental calculation are also fundamental to algebra, so that flexibility and confidence in mental math is one of the best predictors of success in high school math and beyond.

But as we went through the various example problems, did you find the written-out calculations hard to follow?

Don’t force your children to write down their mental math. It looks dreary when I write the calculations out step by step, but that’s not how it works in a child’s mind. With regular practice, this sort of thinking becomes second nature.

Continue reading Mental Math: Do’s and Don’ts

FAQ: Playful Math Journaling

Posted on November 19, 2025November 11, 2025 by Denise Gaskins

Girl student thinking about her math journal prompt

Ever since the school year started, I’ve been getting questions about how to use my new Math Journaling Adventures logbooks.

[SIDE NOTE: These logbooks are included in this month’s Thanksgiving Sale! You’ll get an automatic 10% discount off all print books, applied at checkout, no special code required.]

“I love the way your math books get my children thinking.

“Finally, they are having fun with math!

“But sometimes I have no idea what the journaling prompt is all about or how to teach it. Where can I buy a solutions manual?”

Um, that’s not how math journals work.

The cool thing about journaling prompts is that they have no “right” answer. They are explorations into different parts of the world of math, nature walks in the land of numbers, shapes, and patterns. Springboards into whatever our children want to investigate, whatever sparks their interest.

A few of the problem-solving prompts may have specific answers, but it really doesn’t matter if our kids find the exact solution a math professional might give. If they write what makes sense to them, they’ve accomplished the goal.

If later, they think of something they hadn’t noticed, or they want to change their answer — well, that is mathematical thinking, too.

Continue reading FAQ: Playful Math Journaling

📚 Thanksgiving Sale: ALL Print Books Discounted! 📚

Posted on November 12, 2025November 11, 2025 by Denise Gaskins

November is the traditional month of thanksgiving, at least here in the U.S. The harvest is in, and we have holidays just around the corner. It’s a great time to take stock of our blessings and practice gratitude.

I’m thankful for YOU! 😍 And for everyone who reads my books, blog, newsletter, etc., or backs my Kickstarter campaigns, supports my Patreon, or whatever way you choose to share the Playful Math adventure.

But especially, for those of you who cut out the middleman and buy direct through my store or on Kickstarter.

How It Happened

I was updating my business bookkeeping last weekend (How do I get so far behind?!), and I noticed that my direct-to-you sales this year have blown far past my sales through the normal online retailers.

Wow!

So I decided it was time for a Thank-You sale.

I can’t mark down my print books very often, because the cost of printing and shipping lurks like a monster behind the scenes, eager to take a bite out of every purchase. There’s nothing I can do about those fixed expenses, and they keep going up.

But this feels like a month for celebration, so here we go:

ALL PRINT BOOKS—paperback, hardcover, and spiral bound—are included in the “I’m Thankful for You” Sale. A 10% discount applies automatically at checkout, no discount code required.

SHOP NOW

This would be a great time to grab a book for someone on your holiday gift list—and treat yourself to something new, too.

With my thanks!

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