Calculator activities Since the first hand held calculators were introduced in the 1970s there has been a debate about them being used in primary schools. The old KS2 Maths SAT Papers had a calculator paper so it would seem to make sense to teach how to use them effectively, if only to do well in the tests. However, this has now been removed as has all reference to calculators in the primary maths programme of study, although it is worth pointing out that children usually did worse in the calculator paper than the non-calculator. The underlying thought here is that calculators make children lazy and can be blamed for falling standards. No-one has ever advocated that calculators should be used to solve simple calculations such as 202 + 303, although imputing sums of this kind is a good starting point to check for accuracy in using the keys and checking if answers are sensible. I would argue strongly that the use of a calculator should still be taught in primary schools and that they can be a really effective learning tool. Understanding place value is one area where calculators can be incredibly effective. A less obvious way of using a calculator is to check answers which gives children immediate feedback and detects errors early, stopping them from reinforcing incorrect mental methods of calculating. I like the tables games of strategy where the answers shown on the calculator can be used on the grid to make 3 or 4 in a row. Knowledge of tables is a sure-fire way of winning the game. To finish with a quote from NRich “The appropriate use of calculators alongside, not in place of oral and mental work, should encourage greater numeracy still, the calculator being used as a tool for investigating number and not as a substitute for skills and strategies.” https://nrich.maths.org/2553 Go to calculator activities