Too Old for Blocks? Why Manipulatives Still Matter
If you homeschool, you may have wondered whether your child is getting a little too old for blocks, counters and other maths manipulatives. Manipulatives are physical objects that children can handle and move to represent mathematical ideas. Manipulatives can be things like blocks, counters, fraction pieces, tiles, dice or even everyday objects you have around […]
The myth of manipulatives
A few years ago, I was teaching halves in a 2nd grade class. I’d given each of the children a heap of different-coloured blocks and one simple challenge: Can you make halves using any of the blocks? A visiting principal was observing the lesson. He watched for a little while before asking, “Don’t you think […]