She finished the problem and said confidently, “Done!”But when I asked her to explain her steps, she hesitated.Halfway through her explanation, she stopped mid-sentence and said, “Oh—wait. That’s where I went wrong.” Just like that, she found her own mistake. That’s the power of talking math out loud. It slows thinking down, reveals gaps, and helps students turn confusion into clarity. Why It Works When students explain their reasoning, they organize their thoughts, connect vocabulary, and...
27 days ago • 1 min read
She frowned at her paper. Everything looked right, but the answer was off. She started to erase it right away. But I asked her to wait. “Instead of erasing it right away, can you spot where things started to go wrong?” A few seconds later, her eyes lit up. “Oh! I added instead of subtracting.” That moment—when a student finds their own mistake—is when real learning happens. But as parents/teachers, it’s hard to watch this process. When your child keeps missing problems they should know, it’s...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Pencil in hand, she stared at the paper. She wanted to use a calculator, but this was a non-calculator problem. So she started counting on her fingers. It took her a moment to remember what 12 + 3 equaled. It wasn’t that she couldn’t get the answer. She could. But every problem took so long. That’s when I introduced her to a few mental math shortcuts. 12 is 10+2 right? What does 2+3 equal? Now, we add 10. Yep, the answer is 15. These weren’t tricks, but ways of breaking numbers apart so the...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
She stared at the page, convinced it was impossible.The problem stretched on, step after step.She wanted to give up. But slowly, piece by piece, she worked through it.And when the answer finally clicked, her whole face lit up.That problem—the hardest one—became the one she was most proud of. I’ve seen it again and again: the problems that frustrate students the most are the ones they carry with them the longest. Those victories matter. Here’s what helps students turn those “impossible”...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
She had seen the numbers on the page a dozen times.But when it came to regrouping—borrowing a ten—she froze. Then we pulled out the place value table and showed how it works.Suddenly, it wasn’t just numbers anymore. She could see the exchange happening. Ten ones grouped to make a single ten.Her eyes lit up: “Ohhh… now I get it.” That moment is why I love having the right items to share with students at the right time. Why Tools Matter Kids don’t just need practice. They need ways to see and...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
“I’m not good at math.” Students say it all the time. Sometimes with a sigh, sometimes with a shrug. But here’s the truth: “I’m not good at math” isn’t a fact. It’s a moment in a story. And that story is still in progress. One student used to tell herself the same line every week. It was her explanation for every mistake, every hesitation, her confusion, and inability to solve every tough problem. So we set the record straight. We started tracking the real story—the little wins she was...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi there, Ever sit down to do math with your child and realize you’re missing something? A ruler, a fresh pencil, a clean sheet of graph paper? We’ve created a free printable checklist of essential math supplies so that it never happens again. ✅ Writing tools✅ Paper (including graph paper!)✅ Measuring instruments✅ Websites and digital tools✅ And more… Download it once, print it out, and use it again and again. 🎁 Click here to get the free checklist! It’s a simple tool that helps kids stay...
3 months ago • 1 min read
The power of a small winShe was stuck. Every problem felt overwhelming. Every assignment felt like climbing a mountain. It wasn’t that she didn’t know anything– she just didn’t know where to start.And when that happens, it’s easy to feel like you’re failing. So we stopped trying to climb the mountain and picked some low-hanging fruit instead. We found a skill that was within reach., like a math fact she could get right.A type of problem she could solve with just a little practice. And once...
4 months ago • 1 min read
She had a math assignment to finish but she often struggled with staying focused to complete it. Instead of staring at the clock and dreading how long it might take, she set a timer for just 25 minutes. In that short burst, she stayed focused, skipped the distractions, and got more done than she had in the last hour of the day before. When the timer went off, she took a quick break, came back fresh, and did another round. By the end, the work was done, and it didn’t feel endless. That’s the...
4 months ago • 1 min read