January 2026 – Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math

Mental Math: Advanced Multiplication, Part 1

Posted on January 28, 2026January 3, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

$Mother and daughter working mental math together$

Mental math is the key to algebra because the same principles underlie them both.

As our children learn to do calculations in their heads, they make sense of how numbers work together and build a strong foundation of understanding.

Remember that while mental math is always done WITH the mind, reasoning our way to the answer, it doesn’t have to be only IN the mind. Make sure your students have scratch paper or a whiteboard handy to jot down intermediate steps as needed.

Besides, math is always more fun when kids get to use colorful markers on a whiteboard.

Continue reading Mental Math: Advanced Multiplication, Part 1

Math Game Monday: Clock Math

Posted on January 26, 2026January 7, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

$Learn a new math game every week, for free$

This game encourages players of all ages to think creatively with numbers.

Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children.

And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.

Clock Math

Math Concepts: arithmetic, number properties, mixed operations.

Players: any number.

Equipment: clock, pencil and paper or markers and whiteboard.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Clock Math

Thinking Thursday: Estimation

Posted on January 22, 2026January 7, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

Writing to Learn Math: Research prompts help students view math as a human endeavor.

Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?

Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.

Continue reading Thinking Thursday: Estimation

Homeschool Memories: Bill Gates Proportions II

Posted on January 21, 2026January 3, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

Once upon a time, when my kids and I were young…

Later the same year, not too long after our discussion of the Bill Gates proportions, I stumbled on some more data. I discovered that the median American family’s net worth was $93,100 in 2004, most of that being home equity.

This gave me another chance to play around with proportions. And since I was preparing a workshop for our regional homeschooling conference, I wrote a sample problem:

The median American family has a net worth of about $100 thousand. Bill Gates has a net worth of $56 billion. If Average Jane Homeschooler spends $100 in the vendor hall, what would be the equivalent expense for Gates?

In the last post, I explained that a proportion sets two ratios equal to each other, like equivalent fractions. Each ratio must compare similar thing to similar thing in the same order.

In this case, we are interested in the ratio “Expense compared to Net Worth.”

Continue reading Homeschool Memories: Bill Gates Proportions II

Math Game Monday: Odd–Even–Prime Race

Posted on January 19, 2026January 7, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

$Learn a new math game every week, for free$

This game challenges upper-elementary and middle school students to practice strategy and mental math as they race across a number chart.

Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children.

And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.

Odd–Even–Prime Race

Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multiplication, odd and even, prime and composite numbers, strategic thinking.

Players: two or more.

Equipment: printed hundred chart of your choice, 2 six-sided dice, small toy or token for each player.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Odd–Even–Prime Race

Thinking Thursday: Harder Than It Looks

Posted on January 15, 2026January 7, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

Writing to Learn Math: When students learn to visualize shapes, designs, and patterns, it makes them better at math.

Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?

Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.

Continue reading Thinking Thursday: Harder Than It Looks

Homeschool Memories: Putting Bill Gates in Proportion

Posted on January 14, 2026January 3, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

Money Bag, dollar banknotes and stacked coins on wooden table

Once upon a time…

We were getting ready for the annual homeschool co-op speech contest, and a friend emailed me for help.

“Can you help us figure out how to figure out this problem?

“This is related to C’s speech. I think we have all the information we need, but I’m not sure:

“The average household income in the United States is $60,000/year. And a man’s annual income is $56 billion.

“Is there a way to figure out what this man’s value of a million dollars would be, compared to the person who earns $60,000/year? In other words, I would like to say—$1,000,000 to us is like 10 cents to Bill Gates.”

We found out later that her son’s numbers weren’t exactly right. He hadn’t understood the difference between income and net worth, so he made Gates sound richer than reality.

But the basic math principles never change, and it’s fun to play with big numbers.

Continue reading Homeschool Memories: Putting Bill Gates in Proportion

Playful Math Carnival 183 via Math Hombre

Posted on January 12, 2026January 11, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

Have fun with math at the Playful Math Blog Carnival

If you’re into math education — or just curious about how learning math could possibly be fun — you’ll definitely want to check out the latest edition of the Playful Math Carnival.

It’s a collection of awesome blog posts curated by John Golden and published on the Math Hombre website:

Playful Math Carnival 183: Celebrating Mathy People

The whole point of the carnival is to show that math doesn’t have to be tedious or repetitive. Through a bunch of fun and engaging posts, we celebrate math that’s playful, creative, and totally relevant to everyday life.

Because what could be more relevant than having fun while we learn?

In this edition, you’ll find everything from math puzzles and games to humor and much more — so many people creating great math content.

If you want to mix up your math teaching and make it more enjoyable for your students (and for yourself), definitely check out the Playful Math Carnival.

Happy reading!

Go Visit the Carnival