A practical guide for parents of primary-aged children
If your child is heading towards 7+ or 8+ assessments, or you simply want them to feel confident with numbers, mental maths is the place to start. It's built through short, regular practice rather than long sessions, and much of it can happen through games, shopping trips and conversation. Below you'll find a simple ten-minute routine, guidance on what to focus on from Reception to Year 6, and practical mental maths games for primary children to try at home.
What is Mental Maths?
Mental maths is the ability to work with numbers in your head, without relying on written methods or a calculator. It includes recalling number facts, spotting patterns, estimating, and choosing an efficient way to work something out, as well as checking whether an answer makes sense.
It's about much more than calculating quickly. A child who works out 39 + 27 by thinking "40 + 27 is 67, then take away 1" is using mental maths well: they've chosen a sensible method and flexed the numbers to make it easier.
Mental maths grows through regular practice. Ten minutes on most days will usually have more impact than a long weekly worksheet, particularly when your child is asked to explain how they reached an answer. The aim is accurate recall, flexible thinking and the confidence to choose an efficient method.
How parents can help
At home, parents can make a real difference without trying to teach a classroom lesson. The most effective practice is short, specific and pitched at a level where your child can succeed while still having to think. Where possible, use the language and methods your child is learning at school, as these may differ from the methods you learnt as a child.
Choose one clear target
Begin by finding out what your child is currently learning at school. Choose one small target for a week or two, such as number bonds to 10, the 4 times table, adding 9, or finding 10 per cent of an amount.
Practising several unrelated skills at once makes it harder for a child to notice improvement. A useful target is easy to describe and revisit in different ways. Instead of saying, “We need to improve your maths,” try, “This week, we are going to make the pairs that total 10 feel automatic.” Once answers are accurate, mix the skill with previous targets.
A ten-minute routine
A simple routine keeps practice purposeful. Stop while concentration is still good.
- Two minutes of recall – ask quick questions on familiar facts and note any that your child finds difficult.
- Five minutes of thinking – work on the week’s target, using counters, coins, a number line or a hundred square if helpful.
- Three minutes of application – use a game or a real-life question: “We need 24 cupcakes and each tray holds six. How many trays do we need?”
You do not need to time every activity. Introducing a timer too early can reward guessing and create anxiety. Build accuracy and a reliable strategy first, then add a short timed challenge if your child enjoys it.
What to practise at different stages of primary school
Use these stages as a guide rather than a rigid checklist. It is important to secure earlier facts before moving on.
Reception to Year 2
Focus on counting forwards and backwards, recognising small quantities without counting, one more and one less, ten more and ten less, pairs that make 5, 10 and then 20, and simple doubles and halves.
Connect addition and subtraction: if 7 + 3 = 10, then 10 - 3 = 7. Counting in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s prepares children for multiplication. Use objects and pictures freely.
Years 3 and 4
Strengthen place value, number bonds to 100, mental addition and subtraction, and related multiplication and division facts.
The National Curriculum expects pupils to know the 2, 5 and 10 times tables in Year 2; the 3, 4 and 8 times tables in Year 3; and all tables up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4.
Connections help: the 4 times table doubles the 2 times table, and the 8 times table doubles it again. Use known facts to help with others: if 10 × 7 = 70, then 9 × 7 = 70 - 7 = 63.
Years 5 and 6
Keep times tables fluent, then use them to derive new facts. Knowing 7 × 8 = 56 should help with 70 × 8, 5.6 ÷ 7 and one-seventh of 56.
Practise fraction and decimal equivalents, percentages, estimation, and choosing between mental and written methods. For school entrance preparation, include questions in which your child must decide which operation is needed.
Everyday activities for primary aged children that build fluency
A number bonds card game
Remove the picture cards and jokers from a pack of playing cards and use the ace as 1. Turn over one card and ask for the number needed to make 10.
For older children, let each card represent a multiple of 10 or a decimal: a 7 might require 30 to make 100, or 0.3 to make 1. Ask the inverse too: “If the total is 20 and I have 13, what is missing?”
Use dice and cards with a purpose
Roll two dice and add, subtract or multiply the numbers. With three dice, ask your child to choose operations that give the largest answer. Older children can create two-digit numbers and estimate their product.
The discussion matters more than winning. Asking, “How did you know that?” reveals whether your child is reasoning or guessing.
Estimation games at the supermarket
At the supermarket, estimate the total cost of two or three items, compare prices and calculate change. Keep the numbers manageable.
Cooking offers natural practice with doubling, halving, fractions, ratio and measures. Ask how much flour is needed for half a recipe, or how many 250 ml cups are needed to fill a litre jug.
Make estimation normal
Before calculating exactly, ask what a sensible answer might be. Is 198 + 304 closer to 400, 500 or 600? Would seven £4.95 tickets cost about £20, £35 or £70?
Estimation develops number sense and helps children identify mistakes. Praise a sensible estimate even when the exact calculation needs correcting.
Practise telling the time
Although telling the time sits within measurement rather than mental arithmetic, it requires number fluency and benefits from regular practice.
Ask, “It is 4.20 and swimming starts at 5.05. How long have we got to get there?” Move between analogue and digital displays, introducing 24-hour time when appropriate. A few real questions throughout the week are better than a long exercise.
Recommended online resources
Online practice works best when a parent chooses the right level and discusses errors afterwards. Avoid mechanical repetition simply to collect points.
Hit the Button offers quick-fire practice in number bonds, doubles, halves, times tables, division facts and square numbers for ages 5 to 11. Choose one category that matches the current target. If the countdown unsettles your child, practise the facts orally first.
Daily 10 provides ten questions covering addition, subtraction, place value, rounding, multiplication, division and fractions. The sets can be timed or untimed and are graded by difficulty. It works well as a short, mixed review at the end of the week.
Times Tables Rock Stars supports multiplication and division recall. Its games adapt to a child’s learning needs and use rewards and progress tracking. Many schools provide accounts; families can also subscribe. Use brief sessions and ask related questions away from the screen, such as, “If 6 × 8 is 48, what is 48 ÷ 6?”
Teaching Clock explores analogue and digital time, including 12-hour and 24-hour formats. Set a time for your child to read, ask your child to set a given time, or explore an hour earlier and later. The movement of the hands can be seen clearly.
Questions that develop mathematical thinking
The best home practice includes conversation. After an answer, choose one question:
- How did you work that out?
- What fact did you already know that helped you?
- Can you find a different method?
- Which method would be quickest for these numbers?
- How could you check that answer?
Listen before correcting; an unfamiliar method may still be effective. After an error, ask your child to show each step, find the first point that went wrong and try a similar example. This helps more than simply supplying the answer.
Common mistakes to avoid
Too much speed too soon is one of the most common problems. Other pitfalls include practising only easy facts, moving on before a skill is secure, and copying an adult’s method without understanding it.
If your child says, “I’m not good at maths,” try to avoid saying, “I wasn’t good at maths either,” as this can make difficulty feel fixed. Instead, try, “You don’t know this one yet; let’s find a fact that can help.”
If your child becomes upset or starts guessing wildly, reduce the difficulty, finish with one success and stop. Consistency matters more than completing ten minutes.
An example of a simple weekly plan
Monday: Choose the target and practise with objects or a drawing.
Tuesday: Repeat the target and explain two strategies.
Wednesday: Use the skill in shopping, cooking, travel or telling the time.
Thursday: Complete a short online game at the right level.
Friday: Mix the new skill with older facts and note progress.
When extra support may help
Consider speaking to the class teacher or a specialist tutor if your child relies on counting for facts that should be familiar, cannot explain how numbers are composed, forgets facts despite regular practice, or becomes persistently anxious.
The aim of support should be to identify the missing building blocks and choose focused practice, not simply to provide more questions.
For children preparing for school entrance assessments, mental fluency creates valuable thinking time. It should sit alongside reasoning, problem-solving and clear written working. Well-chosen tuition can identify whether a child needs faster recall, a more efficient strategy or deeper understanding, and can then match home practice to that need.
The most useful next step
Choose one small target tonight and spend five to ten minutes on it. Ask your child to explain one answer, finish with something they can do successfully and return to the same skill tomorrow. That simple routine, repeated regularly and adjusted carefully, is how mental maths becomes secure.
Support your child's maths with Keystone
Every child gets to confident mental maths by a different route. Our tutors find out where your child currently is, work out what's missing, and build the fluency and confidence that make maths feel manageable.
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