312 Things To Do with a Math Journal: Games, Number Play, Writing Activities, Problem Solving, and Creative Math for All Ages

Denise Gaskins

Mar 2022 · Tabletop Academy Press

About this ebook

Are you looking for new ways to help your children learn math?

In a math journal, children explore their own ideas about numbers, shapes, and patterns through drawing or writing in response to a question.

Journaling encourages students to develop a rich mathematical mindset. They begin to see connections and make sense of math concepts. They grow confident in their ability to think through new ideas.

All they need is a piece of paper, a pencil, and a good prompt to launch their mathematical journey.

312 Things To Do with a Math Journal includes number play prompts, games, math art, story problems, mini-essays, geometry investigations, brainteasers, number patterns, research projects, and much more.

These activities work at any grade level, and most can be enjoyed more than once. It doesn’t matter whether your students are homeschooled or in a classroom, distance-learning, or in person. Everyone can enjoy the experience of playing around with math.

Early Reviews from My Journaling Beta-Testers:

•   "We really enjoyed these!"

•   "I remember doing pages and pages of dull equations with no creativity or puzzle-thinking, but now as a homeschool mom, I'm actually enjoying math for the first time! My daughter's math skills have skyrocketed and she always asks to start homeschool with math."

•   "Thank you for a great intro to Playful Math!"

•   "All of the kids were excited about their journals. My oldest kept going without prompting and did several more pages on his own."

•   "We had a lot of fun doing your math prompts. We had never done any math journaling before, but we will certainly integrate this into our weekly routine from now on."

Pick up a copy of 312 Things To Do with a Math Journal and begin your family’s math journaling adventure today.

Ratings and reviews

I really think this is fantastic! You could just about make a class out of all these great ideas to work with mathematics and help children to grasp concepts with a fun approach. Learning simple math can be boring and challenging for many and these ideas give them a chance to explore and think instead of just remembering how certain procedures are carried out. I would love to see more of this in our current curriculums!

I teach maths and I am always looking for fun things to do with maths and numbers. THANK YOU for this excellent book filled with awesome ideas. :) :)

About the author

For more than three decades, Denise Gaskins has helped countless families conquer their fear of math through play. As a math coach and veteran homeschooling mother of five, Denise has taught or tutored at every level from preschool to precalculus. She shares math inspirations, tips, activities, and games on her blog at DeniseGaskins.com.

Denise encourages parents and teachers to look at math with fresh eyes. “We want to explore the adventure of learning math as mental play, the essence of creative problem solving. Mathematics is not just rules and rote memory. Math is a game, playing with ideas.”

Follow Denise's newsletter (and get the 8-week email series “Playful Math for Families”) at tabletopacademy.net/mathnews.