Calculator activities
Activities suitable for calculator use to help with mathematical understanding.
The calculator is a powerful tool and has an important part to play in primary school maths; even though it is frowned upon by the curriculum writers.
In the primary years the purpose of a calculator is not as a tool for getting a quick answer, as children are still learning the mental skills and written skills that they need for their whole lives, but to provide a unique way to explore our number system, place value, fractions, percentages and much more.
If children are to use calculators then they need to learn how to use them efficiently; how to interpret the display, how to use the memory, how to make a sensible estimate of the answer etc.