Students must master certain skills in order to become flexible problem solvers. The Everyday Math program provides multiple methods that help students practice basic skills and math facts. Many games are designed specifically for this purpose. One of the best ways you can help your child learn math is to play a math game or complete a math activity at home once a week.
The Everyday Math curriculum has a wide variety of fact practice games. Since children find these games much more engaging than standard drill exercises, they are willing and eager to spend more time practicing their basic facts.
Drill exercises aim primarily at building facts and operations skills. Practice through games shares these objectives, but, at the same time, games often reinforce other skills including calculator skills, money exchange, shopping skills, logic, geometric intuition, and intuition about probability and chance (because many games involve numbers that are generated randomly).
This year all PES classroom teachers, in kindergarten though sixth grades, will send home weekly games. Playing games at home with family members reinforces the skills children are learning in class. Playing games also allows parents a chance to see the curriculum in action. We thank you for your support and hope that your family enjoys challenging one another! We would love to hear from you about what you learn while you play.
Some games call for materials such as cards, dice, or coins. We will send home directions on how to modify a regular deck of cards to make it a math deck. We hope your family enjoys the challenge of math games.