Homeschool Math Resources

Math is a subject we sometimes struggle with in our homeschool. It is the least favorite subject of my older two children and it is a subject I don’t always enjoy teaching. I can tell I’m not the only homeschool mom facing math dilemmas because the math posts here at Embracing Him are visited quite regularly.

Because so many homeschool moms are looking for math tips and resources, I created a four part series titled Improving Homeschool Math. If you’re checking out this series for the first time, I encourage you to read the three previous posts:

• Debunking Math Myths
• Responding to Math Mistakes
• Helping Kids Gain Math Confidence

In today’s post, Homeschool Math Resources, I’m sharing a list of resources I use to make teaching math more enjoyable for my children. When used regularly, these math resources help improve my children’s understanding of and performance in math.

Math Manipulatives:
I have hands-on learners, so it’s important my girlies have manipulatives to help them understand things better. Here’s a list of the many manipulatives we own and use.

• Counting Bears
• Learning Links
• Geoboards (and rubber bands)
• Number Balance
• Tangrams
• Unifix Cubes
• Flashcards (purchased at Dollar Tree)
• Pattern Blocks
• Number Charts
• Clocks
• Dice (large and small)
• Spinners (purchased at Dollar Tree)
• Melissa and Doug Play Money Set
• Game pawns
• Base Ten Blocks
• Fraction bars
• Fraction circles
• Dominoes

Math Posters:
I love using math posters in our homeschool. Did you know Dollar Tree sells educational posters in packs of two for only $1.00? I’ve found some AWESOME math posters there, so I make a weekly run to Dollar Tree to look for new ones. Here is a list of the math posters we already own. (By the way, if you’re wondering what I do with all of these posters, check this post on how I created an Inexpensive Poster Holder for only $14.88!)

• Angles
• Perimeter & Area
• Math Symbols
• Divisibility
• Thinking Algebraically
• What Does the Clock Say
• Learning to Add and Subtract
• Shapes
• Numbers
• Order of Operations
• Mean/Mean/Mode/Range
• Multiplicaion and Division
• Geometric Shapes
• Circumference & Volume

Math Books: 
We have a homeschool resource shelf and in addition to the usual atlases, dictionaries, and encyclopedias, it also holds a few great math resources. Here some titles you may want to add to your collection.

• Math Dictionary for Kids by Theresa R. Fitzgerald (my favorite!)
• Usbourne Illustrated Math Dictionary
• Math on Call by Great Resources
• 25 Super Cool  Math Board Games by Lorraine Hopping Egan

Interactive Notebooks:
In my Interactive Math Notebooks post, I describe what they are and how we use them during math. If you’d like to use a math journal (and I highly recommend doing so), here is a list of printable websites you can use to find printables to add to your math notebooks.

• The Notebooking Fairy
• Math Notebooking Page
• The Teachers’ Cafe
• Maths Charts by Jenny Eather (one of my favorite places for math printables!)

Teaching math can sometimes be a tricky, but it can be done. If we take the time to better familiarize ourselves with math myths and math strategies and use a variety of educational tools, we can help our children find success and gain peace of mind.

© 2015, Andrea Thorpe. All rights reserved.