Do you want to make math meaningful, educational and enjoyable? It may seem like an impossible task, but it can be achieved! I've collected a number of living books and games to enhance our math main lesson block. These materials are suitable for students grades 1-3 but can be enjoyed by older students as well.

We just finished our math unit and we used nearly all the math books below during our six week unit. The exceptions were the reference books at the bottom of this list. Here’s how this list can be helpful to you. I’ve included the name of the book with a picture along with a brief description, the grade level, math level and whether the book is worth owning or borrowing.  

In every grade, a new mathematical concept will be introduced and all the concepts before will be worked on for proficiency and eventually mastery. In grade 4, fractions are introduced. I find fractions to be a difficult concept for many children and adults to fully understand and master. While there are some children who take to it right away, I have an idea for you if your child doesn't or if you still struggle with the concept of fractions, decimals and percents.

It's my opinion that fractions are the most challenging math concepts that elementary students have to master. And while in a relatively short space of time they can become fairly proficient in calculating fractions, decimals and percents on paper, I do think it takes years, even decades to fully master the concept and practice of fractions.

If you've ever wanted to learn more about how math is taught in Steiner schools (Waldorf education), this book will take you from conception to application. Teaching Mathematics in Rudolf Steiner Schools for classes I-VIII by Ron Jarman is the most comprehensive books on mathematics I've ever seen.

Math scares some people yet delights others. Are we born loving or hating math or do we learn to love or fear it by our experiences? When we do well, do we wish to do more? Does the praise inspire us? When we are challenged by it and are overwhelmed do we learn to avoid it?

The Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Math is the perfect complement to any math curriculum. Use it as reference material or to double check a math concept. Chock full of examples and illustrations, this book will be the only math reference book you'll need. An extra perk is that this book has internet links included to help you find websites to further explain and clarify math concepts.

More math resources! My three favorites from this list are Math in the Garden, Champions of Mathematics and Arithmetricks. Do you have math resources that your family has come to enjoy? I’d love to know! I love math resources, especially math picture books and mathematician biographies.

Math In The Garden is an innovative math book that integrates math with practical real-life skills using the hands-on approach of garden work! I personally would like to see more books like this, so I'm happy to be sharing this book and all the activities we do from it.

Over the years, I've put together several math main lesson blocks and a number of geometry blocks. What sets these blocks apart from other math blocks is the level of engagement the teacher and student experience with each lesson. There are no dry lessons. The upside is obvious: full engagement means maximum learning and high possibility of retention.

Geometry is one of the most fascinating fields of math a student will encounter, in my opinion. There's so much you can do when children are young with simple math centered on identification of shapes and solids. While introducing geometry this way and with picture books may not reflect the Waldorf approach authentically, it has been our approach in our homeschool for years.

It's time for a new unit! This time I take you through the process of putting together a math unit. I'm working on a geometry unit and a basic math unit. My default curriculum is always a Waldorf curriculum, and I used the one from Live Education. I recently got many picture books for these units. I got most of them from Rainbow Resource.

Workbooks. They have a place in a school setting, but when they are overused or are the means of teaching, they lose their effectiveness and novelty. One place we do use workbooks almost daily is with math. While the workbooks we use are simple, they are effective. Occasionally they become tedious, and for that reason I like to mix things up in a few ways.

Key to math curriculum series is a workbook series that covers the topics of measurement, metric measurement, fractions, decimals, percents, geometry, and algebra. Work books are designed for easy self direction with little additional support. Each section provides simple examples and clear directions for understanding the math topic.

Key To math series are the only math books we ever buy. They are simple, student-led and environmental friendly! You read it right, they are environmental friendly. The workbooks contain about 45 pages and are printed on thin paper similar to newsprint paper. They are also simply laid out with easy to understand directions, so minimal instruction is needed.

Creating a math binder is an easy way to take the best worksheets from a variety of workbooks. I take worksheets that are about 1-3 grade levels below with the intention that this daily math shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, should be easy, and cover basic math.