NUMBERs, CONFIDENCE, & "Mathemagic"

One thing that I notice is that when students get good at doing mental math(math calculations in their mind as opposed to on their calculator or on paper) they really light up with a sense of confidence and accomplishment.  This fuels a positive cycle that propels students to convince themselves that they are indeed good at math and to enjoy getting even better at it.  It all starts with knowing your basic multiplication tables, then understanding a bit about the distributive property, and it goes on from there.  Take a look at the video below it truly is amazing!  You don't have to be as good as this guy but learning a few mental math tricks can go a long way to helping you with almost every math problem you do, making it quicker, and more fun.