Hands-On Problem Solving
Select and use familiar tools (concrete objects, fingers, ten frames) to help solve a mathematical problem
Teaching approaches
Gakuva’s recommended starting approach is selected. You can still compare every option.
1 approach
When your child is working out a maths problem, do they reach for helpful tools — like using their fingers, counters, or a number line — to support their thinking?
Select and use familiar tools (concrete objects, fingers, ten frames) to help solve a mathematical problem
Learning resources
Reviewed external links that reinforce this concept. They do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
No reviewed resources for this concept yet.
The teaching approach above still stands. Curated practice links — and later lock-ranked options — will appear here as the shelf fills.
Explore the learning path
1 before · 1 after
Before
This concept
Check understanding
- Choose cubes, counters, or fingers to help solve an addition or subtraction problem
- Use a ten frame to organise objects for counting or comparing
- Explain why a particular tool (e.g. cubes rather than fingers) was chosen for a given problem
“When your child is working out a maths problem, do they reach for helpful tools — like using their fingers, counters, or a number line — to support their thinking?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Meta
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Mathematical Thinking
- Age range
- Ages 5–6