This free math tutoring video shows my 6 and 8-year-old daughters figuring out the squares of numbers 10 through 20. We use a variety of strategies. This activity is helpful in building thinking skills and further developing number sense. They are beginning to see numbers as a picture in their minds that they will carry with them forever.
Square numbers are used frequently in higher math. If they come into contact with them enough now while they are young, they will have no trouble applying this knowledge later on in middle and high school.
Square numbers are fun and much more understandable when you use manipulatives like the Cuisenaire Rods to figure them out! Having a visual picture for things like this makes math so much clearer. My girls are learning that exponents are not something to be afraid of, but are something to enjoy!
The area model shown in this free math tutoring video is the perfect way to introduce multiplication to children. It is a clear, visual representation without the abstract symbols getting in the way. For some children (and adults!), it will literally feel like their eyes are being opened to what it all means. I wish I would have been taught this way as a child. I feel like I was taught how to navigate the world of numbers as though I was blind when someone could have just told me to open my eyes and SEE it! Using Cuisenaire Rods in addition to doing multiplication by forming rectangles will bring about clear understanding in children who otherwise would not get it.
