Maths - mental maths
Mental maths is often included in many maths exams. It is essential that children can calculate quickly and accurately in many aspects of life e.g. how much change they should get from a shop; how much time they have left to arrive punctually, and how to be able to read a timetable.
You may find it useful to help your young child with rhymes such as '1 2 3 4 5, once I caught a fish alive'.
Real money can be used to do pretend shopping including asking for the correct change. For example, "Here is 10p. That book is 5p so how much change should you get?"
There are so many opportunities for incidental learning to develop mental maths skills, so be alert and make sure you use these opportunities.
More worksheets can be found in the Worksheet Finder under SATS papers.
Books for Mental Maths
Let's do Mental Maths for ages 5-6 by Andrew BrodieMental maths is a popular topic for our users and I know that this new Andrew Brodie series is going to be warmly welcomed. It really is an area where the more children try out questions, the more confident they become in dealing with all the differing question formats. The real value lies in using the books as a series, so children ensure all areas are covered and the adult can move on in confidence that the earlier level is properly understood. The layout of each test is fun for young children, with plenty of little illustrations and coloured backgrounds. Each test has 20 questions and they increase in complexity through the book. There are also progress tests interspersed along the way to check progress. Parents will be glad to know answers are included! The next step is Let's do Mental Maths for ages 6-7 . Just like the previous book, this also includes tips from Digit the Dog and Brodie's Brain Boosters, which are mathematical problems which encourage children to think things through. |
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Let's do Mental Maths for ages 7-8 by Andrew BrodieThe books in this series all start with useful guidelines for parents, which explain what is in the book, how they can help their children and point out the extra features of Digit the Dog (useful tips) and Brain Boosters (word problems for an extra challenge). Child-friendly layout makes the pages appealing and the 20 questions are just right for a practice session; progress tests check on understanding and accumulated knowledge. This book is followed by Let's do Mental Maths for ages 8-9 "Each book in this exciting new series contains more than 800 mental maths questions specially devised to boost children's confidence by providing plenty of practice of all the key aspects of the national curriculum. The structure of each test follows the same pattern but the questions get progressively more difficult as children work their way through the book. Tips provided by 'Digit' the dog and word puzzles in the form of 'Andrew Brodie Brain Booster' boxes provide extra elements to support children's learning and challenge them further. Fun stickers featuring Digit the dog for every page make sure children are rewarded for their efforts!" |
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Let's do Mental Maths for ages 9-10 by Andrew BrodieEach book in the series follows the same structure for the questions, so children will be familiar with this; the questions get progressively harder throughout the book. Digit the dog is on hand again with his snippets of interestingly presented information, which will amuse children while they learn - "I eat a bowl of dog food at 5pm. That's 17.00 on the 24 hour clock." Brodie's Brain Boosters are word problems for children to answer and these develop thinking skills. The final book in the series is Let's do Mental Maths for ages 10-11 and once children reach that, having worked through this excellent series, they will have a really firm foundation of mental maths which will stand them in good stead, both for tests and exams and in everyday life. |
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Practise & Learn: Mental Maths (Ages 5-7) Richard ParsonsMental maths is an essential skill which we all need in everyday life. Children need to learn these skills early and it really is an area where practice makes perfect. There will be no problem in getting children to practise with this fun book, which ensures that every question is attractive and enjoyable - they will hardly realise they are learning! Each topic, eg adding, subtracting and tables, begins with a reminder about the important techniques, then questions on the topic. All the answers are included in a pull-out section which exactly duplicates the appearance of each page, so no hunting around for the answers. Children can enjoy the 'Race to the Beehive' game to hone their skills.
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Practise & Learn: Mental Maths (Ages 7-9) Richard ParsonsAs well as needing mental maths in everyday life, children in KS2 will encounter mental maths in tests, as well as to support all branches of maths learning. The quicker they can calculate mentally, the better they can cope with the numeracy requirements. Each topic is briefly explained as a reminder, then there are lots of questions, using a wide variety of formats. This is valuable, because children need to experience the range of questions they may encounter. Clear layout plus an easily used pull-out answer section are typical of the standard CGP produce. There's even a fun game at the end - Elephants and Monkeys.
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