Math games bring out kids' natural love of numbers. Yet in the waning days of school, students can't wait for that final bell to ring. Each summer, most students lose about two months of mathematical computation skills. So how do teachers keep their students focused on math up till the end? Before sending them off for the summer, get them hooked…

Everyday, people face situations that call for adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing, and at least half of the time, these calculations are accomplished without the use of pen, paper, or calculators. Because figuring "in your head" is such an important life skill, it should have a regular role in classroom math teaching. This article…

Basic strategies for developing computational estimation skills are: (1) the front-end strategy, focusing on the front-end digits of the numbers; (2) the rounding strategy, rounding the original numbers to more manageable numbers; (3) the compatible number strategy, changing the original numbers to ones more similar and more manageable; and (4)…

Presents a plan that includes daily drills, games, and take-home papers to help fourth-graders memorize the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tables. (SJL)

Suggests math activities for elementary students that are designed to strengthen problem-solving, computation, and calculator skills by revolving around the real-life situation of a picnic. The article suggests designing a class project to plan and carry out a class picnic, stressing the use of mathematics and calculators. (SM)

Students who can compute mathematical problems in their heads have learned a skill that is important for estimating and for understanding the number system. Practice activities that can help students master mental computation skills are described. (PP)

A primary math activity teaches students counting and classifying using a book about a mother and child who tour a farm at midnight. An intermediate math activity teaches logical reasoning through a story problem in which students must use information from a story to figure out an answer. (SM)

Presents standards-based activities that include learning about an electronic card catalog by playing card games; learning to count and to recognize numerical sets by identifying real-life sets (e.g., items in the building or on the playground); and learning about estimation and spatial sense using students and a digital camera. (SM)