All articles
Every guide in the Math Prizes resource hub, newest first. Page 14 of 16.
The Best Board Games That Secretly Teach Elementary Math
A second grader who groaned at a worksheet spent forty minutes doing the same math for fun. The trick was a board game and a fistful of dice.
Choosing a Kid's First Tablet: What Actually Matters (and What Doesn't)
The best first tablet for kids has almost nothing to do with the specs on the box. Here is what a software engineer checks before handing one over.
Why Screens Before Bed Wreck the Next Morning (and What We Do Instead)
The tablet at bedtime feels like a win. The next morning tells a different story. What screens before bed actually do, and the routine we swapped in.
Equivalent Fractions: Why 1/2 and 2/4 Are the Same Pizza
Why 1/2 and 2/4 are the same amount of pizza, explained the way it should be taught: with something kids can actually see and hold.
What Timed Tests Do to Kids Who Know the Math but Freeze on the Clock
Some kids know their facts cold and still bomb the timed test. Here's what the clock actually measures, and how to build fluency without the freeze.
You're Bad at Math and Terrified of Passing It On: Here's How Not To
You can be terrible at math and still raise a kid who isn't scared of it. What actually gets passed down, and the small ways to stop the handoff.
My Second Grader Still Counts On Fingers: Is That a Problem?
Your second grader still counts on fingers for 6 plus 5, and you are wondering if you missed something. Here is what it actually means and what to do.
Seven Questions to Ask Before You Download Any Math App
I build kids apps for a living, so I know where the traps are hidden. Here are the seven questions I ask before I let one onto my own kids' tablet.
Back to School Math Prep: Two Weeks to Shake Off the Rust
Two weeks before school starts, ten minutes a day of the right practice does more than a whole summer of worksheets. Here is what to actually work on.
Why the Math Looks So Different Than When You Were a Kid
Your kid brings home a subtraction problem solved with a number line and no borrowing in sight. Here is what those new methods are actually doing, and why.
What Every Second Grader Should Know in Math by June
A plain checklist of the 2nd grade math skills that really matter, how to check each one at your kitchen table, and what to do about the shaky ones.
How to Build a Daily Math Habit That Survives Busy Weeks
The families whose kids stay strong in math aren't doing more. They're doing a little, every day, in a way that survives the week from hell.
Why New Math Looks Nothing Like Yours, and How to Help Anyway
The homework says 'make a ten' and you have no idea what that means. Here is what new math is actually doing, and how to help even when it looks foreign.
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation in Math, Explained for Regular Parents
Sticker charts work until they don't. Here is the difference between the two kinds of motivation, and how to use rewards so they actually build a math kid.
Do Math Games Actually Work, or Are Kids Just Playing?
Some math games build real skills. Some are just a math skin over button-mashing. Here's how a teacher tells the two apart.
AI Chatbots Flatter Wrong Answers: Why That Matters for Your Kid's Math
A chatbot will often tell your kid a wrong math answer is right if they push back hard enough. Here's why that happens and why it matters.
The 20 Minute Rule: A Simple Screen Time Structure for School Nights
Twenty minutes, one clear stopping point, and no renegotiating after the timer. A weeknight screen time structure that ends the nightly fight.
Fractions Aren't Scary When You Start With a Sandwich
Most kids don't fear fractions. They fear the notation. Start with a real sandwich cut in half and the whole thing gets a lot friendlier.
How To Tell If Your Child Actually Knows a Math Fact or Is Just Counting Fast
A quick answer isn't proof your child knows a fact. Here are the math fact fluency signs that tell real recall apart from very fast counting.
7 Signs Your Child Has Math Anxiety, Not Just a Bad Attitude
The signs of math anxiety in children get mistaken for laziness all the time. Here are seven tells that separate real fear from a plain bad mood.
When To Worry About Your Child's Math (And When To Wait It Out)
A bad math week is not a red flag. Here's a teacher's honest take on when to worry about your child's math and when to give it more time.
Free vs Paid Math Apps: What You Actually Give Up When You Pay Nothing
A free math app still charges you, just not in dollars. Here is what actually gets billed to your kid's attention, and how to decide when paying is the better deal.
The No-Worksheet Summer Math Plan for Grades 1 to 5
Skip the summer workbook. Here is a no-worksheet plan of summer math activities kids will actually do, built from grocery trips, card games, and cooking.
The Words to Say When Your Kid Says I Am Bad at Math
When your kid pushes the worksheet away and says they are bad at math, the next thing you say matters more than the worksheet does.