How Mathumo teaches math
Mathumo teaches each math idea three ways, in order: with objects your child moves, then with pictures, and only then with written numbers. Short daily sessions mix new learning with review, and mistakes bring hints, not penalties.
Step 1: A gentle start
The first session opens with a short warm-up and a placement of a few questions. Age is only a first guess: the placement finds where your child really is.
Step 2: Objects, then pictures, then numbers
Every idea starts with something to move: counters, ten frames, base-ten blocks, number lines. Pictures come next, written sums last.
Step 3: Watch me, your turn
The first time a new kind of activity appears, Mathumo shows how it works with a see-through fingertip. Then your child tries, and that first try never counts.
Step 4: Do it, then Check
Your child works on the board and presses Check. A right answer gets a glow; a near miss gets a calm “try again” and a hint.
Step 5: Hints that teach
Four steps of help: a highlight, the first step, a more hands-on model, then a guided finish. No lost points, no harsh sounds.
Step 6: A fresh plan every day
Each session mixes new learning with review of earlier skills, which come back after a day, a few days, a week and longer, so they stick.
Step 7: Mastery you can trust
A skill counts as mastered only after success in two different kinds of activity across two sessions. Speed never counts against understanding.
Teaching math at home
Guides for parents that go with this method.
Even and odd numbers: the pairing trick for kids
A number is even if objects split into pairs with none left over. Teach even and odd numbers with pairs first, then skip counting and the last-digit rule.
Fact family in math: what it means and how to teach it at home
A fact family is the set of addition and subtraction facts that use the same three numbers. See fact triangles, examples and how they make subtraction easier.
Greater than less than: how to teach the symbols to kids
Greater than, less than and equal to start with comparing objects. Steps for teaching the > and < symbols, and what the alligator trick can and can't do.
Questions parents ask
How long should a 5-year-old practise math each day?
Short and regular works better than long and rare. Mathumo offers sessions of 5, 10 or 15 minutes, chosen by a parent; most children do well with about 10 minutes a day.
Does Mathumo use multiple choice?
No. Children answer by doing: moving counters, filling ten frames, placing numbers on a number line, cutting shapes. Then they press Check.
What happens when my child gets something wrong?
Mathumo gives a hint instead of a buzzer: first a highlight, then the first step, then a more hands-on model, and finally it works through the answer together with the child.