April 2021 New: What Is Mental Math and a Useful Strategy To Help Your Child

There are a number of educational tools available online. This article explains what is mental math about and educational strategy that is proven to work.
 

I'm the author of this article and I'm a qualified abacus teacher, answering questions from around the world online abacus and various questions from online-soroban.com students.

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Maths is practically everywhere. It is the basis of modern science and physics. We as humans owe our technological advancements to the principles of mathematics to a great extent. Given that fact, kids who want to pursue a career in any of the STEM fields need to have a clear grasp on the application of maths. Tangential to that is the knowledge of the inner function of numbers. The ability to understand the numerics well has a great advantage. This is where mental maths can help.
 

1-1.The Understanding What Is Mental Math Strategy About

Let us first understand what mental maths is not. It is not learning about new shapes and formulae.

It is not about doing more and more problems.

Mental maths primarily involves the use of just the human brain

- all calculating devices electronic or nonelectronic are forbidden.

Arithmetic calculations or shape-based calculations are carried out.

But wait, it is not just about who can crunch the biggest numbers.

Certain calculation techniques are also taught to the children.

These techniques provide deeper insights into the working of numbers and fundamental operations.

Abacus or the mathematics of the unknowns plays a huge role in mental calculation.

As a result, children get to learn this powerful tool early on.

School curriculums mostly introduce algebra at a later stage keeping the students away from this powerful tool.

Many different methods are employed.

Some common methods are discussed below to give you a flavor of mental math techniques:

Casting out nines (digit sums):

Whenever two numbers need to be operated upon, it could be addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, there is a way to approximately check if the answer is correct.

We do so by taking a sum of digits of the original numbers and performing the same operation on the digit sums.

Note that while calculating digit sums, nines should not be counted as it leads to the same exact result even without the nines.

If the result of the operation is equal to the digit sum of the original answer, there is a good chance the answer is correct.

Estimation: to quickly verify the result of an operation, the original numbers can be rounded off to a suitable place value, and the same operation is performed on these rounded off values and if this answer is close to the original answer there is a good chance that the original answer to is correct.

Factor before multiplication or division:

Another popular technique is to factor numbers into their prime constituents before carrying out multiplication or division.

In the case of multiplication, doing so can help the calculator form pairs and multiply numbers faster.

In the case of division, common factors can be canceled out to achieve the quotient faster.

This is but the tip of the iceberg that mental maths is.

As to why these techniques work is a matter of deep insight and beyond the scope of this article.

Learners of mental maths would be able to understand how they work though.

1-2.What Is Mental Math Strategy and Finding Online Learning Platforms

Finding online learning platforms that can boost mental calculation skills isn’t a tough job these days.

Children often stumble upon educational websites or educational YouTube channels.

You can use reviews and comments to get an idea about the general likeness of the teaching material.

Here we will list some of the more popular resources which you can check out for not just mental calculation but numbers in general.

There is a variety of free-of-cost websites.

Online Soroban has a range of free classes for wallet-friendly options.

They host a complete library of courses in maths from early grades up to college-level mental math.

Learners of pretty much any age can find something new to learn.

They offer points for completing video lessons and solving exercise questions correctly.

It is a good platform for explaining concepts of early grades in a short and concise way.

There are a variety of problems to practice and it is a new challenge altogether to solve them mentally.

Online Soroban also has a range of mathsy geometry-based short animation videos.

These animations improve the conceptual clarity of the learners and help them get an intuitive feel.

There are tons of websites and platforms available online, both paid and free that can boost the mental math skills of the students.

Just like the same size clothes don’t fit everybody, the same way of teaching doesn’t work for everybody.

Learners are therefore encouraged to try out a bunch of platforms and pick the one they find most easy to understand.

1-3. What Is Mental Math Strategy Using Engaging Games

There have always been educational games in the market but the emergence of computers has both brought into existence new ones and made accessible the hidden obscure ones to the general public.

Let us try to understand how educational games can help children learn and even more importantly, remember their concepts for longer periods of time.

The reward loop: Unlike a test where the child simply gets better marks, ISHIDO-SHIKI game gives the child a reward that they actually want when they score higher.

These points in the game are a big deal to young children. Its reward loop keeps them engaged.

Multimedia engagement: The human mind has evolved to pursue the attractive.

We find animated things much more attractive than inanimate things.

The games use multimedia, including animations, video, and music to create an overall alluring environment.

This keeps the child on track, without making them bored.
 

Overall  
As we have discussed, the importance of mental calculation is very relevant in today’s world where numbers and mathematical calculations are used pretty much everywhere.

Online platforms make it super easier for children to learn mental maths.

All the knowledge is just a few clicks away.