How to Foster a Love for Math in Students

I love talking about all things structured literacy and the science of reading, but something I rarely mention is my passion for teaching math. Over the years, I’ve developed a toolkit full of strategies that have helped kids succeed in math as well. First off, we know phonemic awareness is the foundation for reading. But what is the equivalent for math? It’s subitizing—the ability to recognize and visualize quantities without counting. That’s why we’re always playing dice games, dominoes, and using fingers to show numbers. Kids need to physically see what a 2, 3, 4, or 5, etc. looks like because it helps them internalize these quantities and apply that understanding in other areas, like money. For instance, we use touchpoints on money, where each dot represents a value of 5. A nickel gets one dot, a dime two, and a quarter five. This tactile, visual approach helps kids grasp the concept of money more concretely. When we learn place value, we call the hundreds, tens, and ones the horrible, terrible ogres, and we connect it to Shrek! We ask questions like, “Can Shrek bundle a ten to help save Donkey or Fiona?” It makes the concept so much more engaging for the kids. When we learn to tell time, we say the small hour hand is green like the grass because we need to figure out whose backyard it’s in. For example, if the hour hand is between 2 and 3, we know it’s in 2’s backyard. The long minute hand is brown because it has more details, and we count by 5s to figure it out. These fun strategies make abstract concepts more relatable and easier to remember. I was so proud to see my students’ computation scores (two-minute addition and subtraction facts, two-digit by two-digit) on the recent Acadience benchmark! Every student scored above grade level and made it into the blue zone. They’ve truly mastered how to add and subtract. However, I noticed that more students struggled with the Concepts and Applications section, which includes word problems. This reinforced something I already knew: reading impacts every subject. If students struggle to read, it’s going to affect their ability to solve word problems in math. They can calculate beautifully when it’s just numbers, but reading comprehension is key for understanding the problems. This shows how interconnected all subjects are and why building strong foundational literacy skills is so important. I'm thrilled with their progress, but this was a good reminder to keep integrating reading support into every part of the day—even in math.

Lessons from my 10 years as an educator that help me in my role today as a social media strategist: I had the pleasure of teaching middle schoolers math against their will. My approach? I didn't spend time trying to convince them math is worth learning. Instead, create a curiosity in them where they NEED to understand. Here's how I taught absolute value: ❌ What I DIDN’T do: “Take out your notes and write this down:  Absolute value = the magnitude of a real number without regard to its sign." ✅ What I DID instead: I asked them simple questions—without confirming if they were right or wrong. How far away is the number 4 from 0? How do you know? What about -4? How far away is that from 0? What do you mean? Hm, that's interesting. After a few responses, they had to know. Their curiosity turned into urgency: “Wait… am I right!?” And I'd respond with: "Hm...do you think you're right?" Suspense. Tension. Curiosity. By the time I explained what absolute value was, they were hooked because their curiosity HAD to be resolved. This is the same approach I take with content. Before I say what I want to say, I create curiosity first. I did it with the first line of this post. I do it when writing hooks at Kit. It’s always a learning process, but the psychology is the same. If you want to hold attention on social, don’t just state facts. Create curiosity. Ask questions. Let your audience lean in before you deliver. What’s one lesson from a past job that surprisingly helps you in content marketing today? Shoutout to my students who posed for this YouTube thumbnail in 2019 on a video all about classroom management.

When students start to feel that they’re “not good at math,” it often leads to internalized beliefs that become barriers to their learning. Breaking down these barriers early is critical. An effective way to do this is with open-ended activities like “Which One Doesn’t Belong?” Present four numbers and ask students to decide which one they think doesn’t fit. There’s no single correct answer here; the goal is to spark discussion and encourage different perspectives. By removing the pressure of a “right” answer, we create an inclusive space that values every student’s thinking and fosters a willingness to explore. This approach embodies Universal Design for Learning (UDL), creating a classroom where math is accessible, engaging, and a place for all students to find their voice.