Mental Math - helps your child to get that extra edge!

There’s an app for everything. Including a calculator app. What’s the need then for children to learn to do calculations in their head?

Studies have shown the mental math has several benefits:

​​Helps stimulate the brain and increases confidence in working with numbers - Kids who feel confident perform better in tests. Additionally, kids who do well in Math, tend to do well in school overall.

Helps make learning math fun - Kids enjoy doing mental math and math makes classes interesting. They are excited that they can calculate things in a shorter time compared to taking out a calculator and typing in the numbers. 

Helps in making knowledgeable decisions in everyday life as an adult - Mental math will be very useful in calculating things like - price after tax, discount amount, change for cash required.

Here are a few fun tricks:

Addition of big numbers 

Round them up to the nearest ten, and then add those. 

Example: 346 + 438 = 350 + 440 = 790

Then subtract the last digit from 10 and add those up

10-6 + 10-8 = 6

Subtract this above answer from the original addition.

790-6 = 784

So, 784 = 346 + 438

Check Divisibility of Numbers

By 3 - The last two digits are added together and that is divisible by 3

By 4 - The last two digits are 00 or divisible by 4 

By 5 - The last digit is 5 or 0

By 6 - Even number and the test for 3

By 8 - The last three digits are 000 or divisible by 8

By 9 - The last two digits are added together and that is divisible by 9

Multiply in parts.

This is an important foundation for advanced algebra.

For example: 4 × 83 

Multiply 4 × 80 and 4 × 3

Add the results 320 + 12 = 332

Therefore, 4 x 83 = 332

Encourage your child to be proficient at mental math. Enrolling them at Mathnasium helps them learn the tips and tricks of math. This gives them an advantage to succeed at math tests and in daily life as an adult.

Whether your child is far behind, performing at grade level, or eager to get ahead, our personalized programs can help! Give us a call at (905) 997-2939 to get an assessment today!