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Mental Math Strategies

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Mental Math Strategies worksheet preview

Mental Math Strategies

Mental math brain with numbers

🧠 Part 1: Mental Calculation Practice

1. Use the "jump strategy" on the number line to solve 47 + 28. Show your jumps:

Answer: 47 + 28 = _______

2. Use "friendly numbers" to solve 83 - 29 mentally. Which strategy did you use?

Round 29 to 30, then adjust

Break 29 into 20 + 9

Count backwards

83 - 29 = _______

3. Calculate 15 × 6 using the "double and halve" strategy:
4. Solve 144 ÷ 8 by thinking "what times 8 equals 144?"

I know that _____ × 8 = 144, so 144 ÷ 8 = _____

💭 Part 2: Explain Your Strategies

5. Emma calculated 67 + 35 by doing 67 + 30 + 5. Explain why this strategy works:
6. Estimate the answer to 298 + 187. Explain your estimation strategy:

My estimate: approximately _______

7. Which mental strategy would be most efficient for 25 × 12?

Break into (20 + 5) × 12

Think 25 × 10 + 25 × 2

Double 25 × 6

Explain your choice: ________________________________

🌟 Part 3: Multi-Step Challenge Problems

8. A school canteen sells 185 meat pies and 127 sausage rolls on Monday. On Tuesday, they sell 38 fewer items in total. How many items did they sell on Tuesday?

Answer: _______ items

9. Jake has $250. He buys 3 games costing $29 each. Estimate how much money he has left, then calculate the exact amount:

Estimate: approximately $_______ left

Exact amount: $_______ left

10. Use mental math to solve: (48 ÷ 6) × (15 + 25) - 12

Show your thinking step by step:

Final answer: _______

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