Elementary school – Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math

Math Game Monday: Bowling

Posted on July 27, 2026May 21, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

Learn a new math game every week, for free

This game builds calculations skills and helps develop fluency.

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.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!

Bowling

Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multistep calculation, column addition (for final score).

Players: any number.

Equipment: one deck of math cards, game board, ten tokens for covering numbers, pencil or pen, and (optional) scratch paper for adding up the scores.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Bowling

Column Jumping: An Investigation

Posted on July 1, 2026June 28, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

In my new book, Charlotte Mason’s Living Math, I encourage families to explore the world of math by asking big, open-ended questions.

[Now available exclusively in my Playful Math Store! Ebook only at the moment, but print editions are coming soon.]

Here’s an example of such a question, an excerpt from my earlier book, 70+ Things To Do with a Hundred Chart: Number, Shape, and Logic Activities from Preschool to Middle School.

Have fun exploring math with your kids!

Continue reading Column Jumping: An Investigation

FAQ: Doing Math His Own Way

Posted on June 17, 2026May 24, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

$FAQ learning subtraction math$

Isn’t it fun when children surprise us with their understanding?

All my children have figured out ways to do things in math that I would never have expected, and I’ve learned quite a bit from listening to their explanations.

But what if the child’s creative method makes it hard for them to learn what our textbook wants to teach?

Continue reading FAQ: Doing Math His Own Way

Tasty Treats from the Moscow Puzzles

Posted on June 3, 2026June 3, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

“Problems stressing deduction rather than calculation have a special appeal and value. They teach you to analyze, and to seek unorthodox ways of solving a problem.”

—Boris Kordemsky

Today I’m sharing a few treats from The Moscow Puzzles by Boris Kordemsky, which mixes classic brainteasers and original stumpers.

Recreational math expert Martin Gardner called Kordemsky’s book “the outstanding puzzle collection in the history of Russian mathematics.”

Have fun playing logic with your kids!

Continue reading Tasty Treats from the Moscow Puzzles

Math Game Monday: Decimal Point Pickle

Posted on May 25, 2026March 21, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

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

This game challenges students to think strategically about the meaning of decimal numbers and place value.

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.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!

Decimal Point Pickle

Math Concepts: decimals, place value, numerical order.

Players: any number.

Equipment: one deck of math cards, whiteboard and markers for each player, or pencils and blank paper.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Decimal Point Pickle

Math Game Monday: Countdown

Posted on April 27, 2026March 21, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

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

This game helps students develop strategic thinking while practicing their subtraction skills.

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.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!

Countdown

Math Concepts: subtraction within one hundred, thinking ahead.

Players: best for two.

Equipment: a hundred chart, penny or other token to mark your place.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Countdown

Math Prompt: True-False-True

Posted on March 4, 2026March 4, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

girl writing in a notebook, sitting on couch with her corgi

One of the stretch goals for my Charlotte Mason’s Living Math Kickstarter campaign is to add a math journaling prompt to the end of each chapter. So, I’ve been playing around with ideas to get readers writing.

Since the book’s all about how to build mathematical reasoning, I’m looking for ways to prompt creative thinking and flexibility in math calculations.

Check Out the Kickstarter

I found some fun ideas in Guy Gattegno and Martin Hoffman’s Handbook of Activities for the Teaching of Mathematics (which you can download here), including the following riff off a puzzle created by Lewis Carroll.

Continue reading Math Prompt: True-False-True

What Is Math Game Monday?

Posted on December 15, 2025February 23, 2026 by Denise Gaskins

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

There’s a new Math Game Monday this week.

Have your kids tried it yet?

This week’s game is one of my favorites for upper-elementary and middle school students, offering plenty of practice doing estimation and mental math with fractions. Or you might prefer last week’s game, featuring a classic two-player logic puzzle that develops strategic reasoning.

Or, if you’re reading this post later and missed those, there’s another great new game this week for you to play.

Check it out:

Visit Math Game Monday

Continue reading What Is Math Game Monday?

Musings: Math is Communication

Posted on December 10, 2025November 11, 2025 by Denise Gaskins

$Young boy writing math expressions$

The question came up on a homeschool math forum:

“My first grader and I were playing with equivalent expressions. We were trying to see how many ways we could write the value ‘3.’

“He wrote down 10 – 2 × 3 + 1.

“When I tried to explain the problem with his calculation, he got frustrated and didn’t want to do math.

“How can I help him understand order of operations?”

[If you think this sounds like too complex of a math expression for a first grader, you may want to read my blog post about math manipulatives and big ideas.]

Order of operations doesn’t matter in this instance. What matters is communication.

The mother didn’t know how to read what her son wrote.

He could help her understand by putting parentheses around the part he wanted her to read first.

He doesn’t need to know abstract rules for arbitrary calculations, or all the different ways we might possibly misunderstand each other. He just needs to know how to say what is in his mind.

Continue reading Musings: Math is Communication