"Can you help me with my math homework?" If, like most parents, this question fills you with dread, then this is the book for you. In the "good old days," elementary students simply memorized their times tables and struggled through long division. Today, students are expected not just to find the right answer, but also to choose the best method for doing so--and to explain why it works. On top of that, students are learning new strategies--even for basic arithmetic--that look foreign to many parents. This is your guide to: number lines, place value and negative numbers; long multiplication and division; fractions, percentages and decimals; shapes, symmetry and angles; data analysis, probability and chance. With sample questions, examples of common errors, and over 25 games and activities, this book will help you and your child discover math all around you--and have fun doing it!--From publisher description.

Includes index.

Preparation: Introduction -- The big questions -- Math props for moms and dads -- Math language -- A year-by-year summary -- Arithmetic and how it has changed: Numbers and place value -- Addition and subtraction: mental methods -- Addition and subtraction: paper-and-pencil methods -- Simple multiplication and tables -- Multiplication beyond tables -- Division -- Beyond arithmetic: Fractions, percentages and decimals -- Shapes, symmetry and angles -- Measuring -- Data analysis and probability -- Calculator math -- Big ideas for small people -- Questions...and answers: Questions that your 11-year-old might encounter: Part 1: Calculators not allowed --Part 2: Calculators are allowed -- Answers to questions that your 11-year-old might encounter -- Part 1: Calculators not allowed --Part 2: Calculators are allowed -- Answers to test yourself questions -- And finally ... -- Dos and don'ts -- Glossary.