Children’s Literature in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom

Any elementary school teacher can tell you that children love to share in a good story. Although some students are stronger and more avid readers than others, all children seem to enjoy either reading a story or sharing in the experience of having a story read to them. Some of the most intimate and special times I remember sharing with my children involved our rocking chair and a good book, typically one that one of them selected. Times spent with a good book are inherently enjoyable and motivating. We can build on that sense of enjoyment and bring it into our primary mathematics classrooms by using good children’s literature as a springboard to fun and challenging mathematics activities. In this article, several children’s books will be introduced, accompanied by a few math activities related to each story.