My Picks for Elementary Math Curriculum

Ah, math. It's so controversial these days. Even my public school friends have decided opinions on Common Core and what that entails. My goal for elementary math is to give my kids rock solid basic computational skills and to try to get them understanding how numbers work together. With that said, we do a few things.

Saxon is our core curriculum through sixth grade. My gifted kids work a level ahead, so my second grader will be starting Math 3 this year. My average kids work at grade level, so my 6th grader will be doing Math 76 this year. I like the presentation, especially the hands-on lessons through 3rd grade (definitely spring for the manipulatives kit!), and the spiral review that means we never leave a concept behind for long.

Even with the excellent facts practice in Saxon, my girls have needed extra help with memorizing their math facts. Kate Snow’s excellent Facts That Stick series provides lots of different ways to understanding those math facts. Whenever a kid is struggling with a fact family, I pull out the game from the relevant chapter and spend the first 10-20 minutes of our math time playing games to solidify them.

We also love Beast Academy, which is a brilliant and fun program with comic book guides and puzzle-type practice for each level. We use them as a supplement two-three times a week, though kids who don't need as much basic practice and review could use it as their primary math curriculum. The Beast Academy Online subscription is worth checking out if you allow your kids screen time. We bit the bullet and bought it, and the extra teaching clips and games have really enhanced our math experience.

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