Jun 1, 20202 minSmiles and MathematicsBasic facts truly are the foundation on which all mathematical computation is based (larger numbers, rational numbers, operations with...
May 26, 20202 minI'm thinking of a Number...Parents are often looking for practice in helping their children learn mathematics. By practice, the perception is that pages of...
May 25, 20201 minBurgers with PicklesBURGERS with Pickles: In this game, children roll a dice twice. The first roll tells how many hamburgers to draw. The second roll tells...
May 8, 20201 minZero Wins!Gather a couple of family members together and a deck of cards. Remove the face cards from the deck (ace = 1). You will also need paper...
May 6, 20201 minTeacher Appreciation Week~ We love our teachers! Classroom teachers have been working in environments that extend their expertise into our homes. They are busy...
May 2, 20201 minAttention! Time to Salute (Multiplication Style)You'll need three family members that are familiar with multiplication facts. You will also need a deck of cards with kings and jacks...
Apr 27, 20202 minGood timesHelping your child get better at math doesn't have to be difficult, painful, or scary. Don't be fooled -- just because games are fun...
Apr 26, 20202 minBecause Ten is Our Friend Making Ten as a Mental Math Strategy The goal of making ten mental math strategy is to think about all the pairs of numbers that equal...
Mar 28, 20201 minRock, Paper, Scissors ~ MATHKids are home and we are looking for things to do together everyday. Here at Zach's Backpack we have posted some new ideas centered...
Mar 21, 20201 minWe've Got This!In these unprecedented times, we can find the golden nuggets of opportunities to listen to how our children think about mathematical...
Mar 13, 20201 minKids are at home for 2 weeks ~ what can I do? What do I do, my child is home from school for two weeks!? Zachsbackpack.com has fun family math games that you can do at home with...
Mar 13, 20202 minMath + Games = Learning + FunI was one of those kids who never considered math as fun. Math was taught in a way that there was only one way to get to an answer. It...
Mar 13, 20201 minWelcome to Zach's Backpack Blog!The instruction that takes place in your child’s classroom today might differ from your own experiences. As parents, you might want to...
Sep 2, 20192 minWork vs. PlayMany workbooks are filled with pages and pages of problems to solve. Then it is checked and marked as to which are errors. UGH! Doesn't...
Aug 26, 20192 minMemorization vs. FluencyMemorization vs Fluency One goal of Zach’s Backpack is to help families see and experience fact fluency through games and conversions...
Aug 18, 20192 minWhy Use Games???There are some who think that teaching math games to children is a waste of valuable time. After years of teaching math to children and...
