How to Make Math Easy and Fun to Learn

I will never forget the day one of my students, Raghav, who had always struggled with multiplication, suddenly shouted, “Ma’am, this is just like cricket scores!” We had been working through multiplication tables using cricket match statistics, such as runs, overs, and strike rates. And one day, the connection just clicked. That spark, the joy gleaming in his eyes at the realization, reminded me of why I fell in love with teaching math in the first place. After twelve years in the classroom, if anything, I have learned that the difference between “I hate math” and “Math is actually cool!” often comes down to one thing: how we present it.

Let’s Bust the Myth: We Aren’t Wired to Hate Math

Here’s the truth that might surprise you: math isn’t naturally hard. What’s hard is the way we have been taught to think about it. For too long, we have treated math like a series of rules to memorize rather than patterns to discover.

I have seen brilliant kids who could debate politics or create incredible art suddenly freeze when faced with a simple fraction. The problem is their belief that math requires some special “math genes” they don’t possess.

In my experience, every child is a natural mathematician. They just don’t know it yet. Imagine, when your five-year-old divides their candies equally among friends, aren’t they doing division? Or when they figure out how many more minutes until bedtime,aren’t they subtracting? The magic happens when we help them see these connections.

Gamify the Basics with Math Activities

One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my teaching career was overloading kids with drills. Yes, practice matters, but endless worksheets only make students disengage. I found that when I turned practice into math activities and fun games, students were suddenly asking for more.

Here are a few tried-and-tested ideas:

• Multiplication Bingo: We started creating multiplication bingo boards, and it paid off well. Kids loved solving problems to mark off their squares.
• Dice Battles: Roll two dice, multiply, and keep score. Everyone practices multiplication without realizing it. We also did it for concepts like addition and subtraction. 
• Number Stories: Instead of saying “solve 15 ÷ 3,” I’d say, “Fifteen friends want to share three pizzas equally. How many slices does each friend get?” Suddenly, division becomes about fairness and friendship, not abstract symbols.
• Math Scavenger Hunts: I’d send kids around the classroom to look for shapes, measure objects, or count items. And when we feel like having some extra fun, we throw in a little bit of music too. Math rhymes (oh, they do exist, or invent one!) or improv character play keep the motivated and engaged.

Let Your Children Tell the Tale of Math

Why do these playful approaches work so well? It comes down to how our brains are wired. When we are having fun, our brains release dopamine, which actually helps us form stronger memories. The principle is beautifully integrated into progressive educational frameworks, such as early childhood education, which enforces that play-based learning is fundamental. That’s why your students will remember the day you turned the classroom into a “Fraction Restaurant” long after they’ve forgotten the textbook chapter on equivalent fractions.

When I started weaving math into stories, such as the tale of the “Addition Kingdom,” where numbers lived in harmony, those previously dull and dry concepts were no longer ‘dull and dry.’

Make It Real-Life

Children learn real lessons from the outside world. Time and again, I have encouraged parents to sneak a learning moment or two into their everyday lives. For example

• Use Shopping Trips: Ask children to calculate discounts during festive sales. Or give them the bill so they can calculate the total amount paid. Even simpler, ask them to read the instructions and the nutrition labels to understand weights and measures. 
• Cook Together: You know the best way to introduce fractions? Through food. Recipes are perfect for fractions. When you make cakes, turn your kitchen into a math lab. Tell your child to measure the ingredients according to the instructions and watch together as your math experiment turns into a beautifully baked cake. 

In the IB Primary Years Programme, this kind of experiential learning is essential. When children see math in their world, they stop asking, “Why do I need this?” and start embracing, “What’s next?”

Math is No Longer “That” Dreadful Subject

The beautiful thing about making math fun is that you don’t need expensive materials or extensive training. Start small. What surprised me most in my teaching journey was discovering that the children who struggled the most with traditional math often became the most creative problem solvers once we changed our approach. They taught me that there’s no single way to think mathematically, and that’s precisely what makes it beautiful.

Schools that follow the IB curriculum in Bangalore already integrate these playful approaches into their learning models, making math less intimidating and more engaging.

So, start today. At OWIS, our early childhood and education approach, along with the IB Primary Years Programme, is designed to make learning hands-on, joyful, and meaningful.

Explore how our IB curriculum schools in Bangalore can help your child fall in love with math—and learning as a whole.